This collection of Slavic tales is based on the oral storytelling traditions of the peoples of Eastern Europe, from the Polish and the Slovaks to the Macedonians, Croats, Czechs and Serbians, with roots in ancient folklore and influenced by the Viking traders who settled in Kiev in the early middle ages. Stories abound with mountains, magic palaces and temples in such incredible tales as 'The King of the Toads', 'Vassilissa the Cunning', 'The Frog Princess' and 'The Feather of Bright Finist the Falcon'. Also includes 'The History of Vampires in the Slavic World'.
Odysseus is the cunning wanderer from the fall of Troy, breaker of oaths and teller of tales. His story is immortalised in Homer's Odyssey and will endure as long as humanity, forever capturing the imagination, not least because of the entities he meets along the way: the savage Cyclops Polyphemus, the enticing Sirens, and fearsome Scylla and Charybdis.
The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War of the Ancient Greeks, focusing on the struggles of Achilles. The Odyssey covers the events after the war as Odysseus travels home, encountering many strange monsters and creatures along the way.
Stories of the Serbian people are poetic, reflecting their proud heritage as Southern Slavs, who, in the years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, swept South, taking over the lands of the once great Ancient Greeks, the Latins and the Thracians.
Their folk tales echo the beautiful landscape and the intermingling with classic, heroic culture of the Byzantines. With a new introduction this powerful collection gathers together tales such as 'He Who Asks Little Receives Much', 'The Maiden Wiser Than the Tsar, 'The Biter Bit', 'Good Deeds Never Perish' and 'The Ram With the Golden Fleece'.
Paradise Lost tells of the expulsion from Eden and the war of Heaven that followed, exploring the fall of humanity and the rebellion of the fallen angels from the perspective of Satan and mortal kind. Milton's epic poem, written in 10,000 lines of blank verse divided into 12 sections, was a reflection of the political upheaval that led to the English Civil war. This gorgeous edition also features Gustave Doré's classic illustrations and other poems by Milton.
Dante’s masterpiece of literature is well matched by the peerless art of Gustave Doré. Dante and his guides, Virgil and Beatrice, journey through the cantos in an allegory of the passage of the soul through the Afterlife, with the subtle engraving of Doré’s illustrations perfectly complementing the movement from darkness through to light.
An essential collection of chivalric romance, swordplay, wizardry and brutal feats of courage Malory’s 15th century Morte d’Arthur is one of the world’s greatest pieces of myth-making, with most gothic and modern fantasy finding its roots in this splendid mix of history, magic and literature. This selected edition features many of Aubrey Beardsley’s classic illustrations.
One of the greatest writers of the gothic fantastic, Poe’s dark, masterful stories inspired a generation of writers. With his macabre twists of fate and fascination with science and invention his work led to the detective stories of Sherlock Holmes, the weird horror of H.P. Lovecraft and the grim, tortured tales of Stephen King.
The mythic invasions of Ireland, the mystical kingdoms, warriors, giants, creatures of the underworld and magic, these are the fantastic ingredients of Celtic legend. Because they told their own stories in the ancient way, by word of mouth, we understand the traditions of these proud people through the records of their mortal enemies, the Romans, but still they thrive, so bright and strong today.
