ENGLISH BOOKS

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 Odyssey covers the events after the Trojan War as Odysseus travels home, encountering many strange monsters and creatures along the way. Featuring numerous figures of ancient Greek mythology, Homer's epic poem is one of the world's oldest surviving literary works and preserves various aspects of ancient Greek beliefs and culture for the modern reader. From fearsome giants to a cunning sorceress, Odysseus must confront peril after peril, all the while wondering if the path of his fate ever leads homeward, and if his wife Penelope and son Telemachus remain safe.

Writen as stories, not an epic poem

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.

This latest new book in the Myths, Gods & Immortals series offers an opportunity to explore the many facets of Loki – shapeshifting Norse god, at once an ally of and at odds with the other Aesir. From ancient tales to comics, TV and the movies, Loki's tempestuous relationship with the likes of Odin and Thor, his many forms and offspring, and his ambivalent character make him the classic trickster and an inspiration beyond Norse mythology.

Aphrodite is a celebrated figure deeply connected with beauty, sexuality and love in ancient myth – but do we really know who she is and what she stands for? A captivating Greek goddess, who according to popular myth was born from sea foam, she is as fascinating now as she was then to both Gods and mortals. A powerful, multifaceted woman with a story as deep as the ocean from which perhaps she came, she is often erroneously presented as a fertility goddess, but she is certainly sensual, sexual and even maternal.

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814–1873) was a highly influential Irish author, born in Dublin, whose work spread across the English-speaking world, where his impression can be found in the stories of Wilkie Collins, M.R. James, Bram Stoker and many others. Although trained as a lawyer, he became a writer of sensational literature, exploring the dark and fantastic, becoming one of the foundational purveyors of classic horror ghost stories, including his famous early work of vampire fiction Carmilla.

Populated by gods, High Kings, wilful Queens, noble warriors, fairies, goblins and witches, Celtic myths and fairy tales are unsurpassed in their variety and power. This new book is a dazzling collection of the most gripping Celtic tales, vividly told in classic stories, gathering together the legends and sagas of this ancient culture in a tribute to the heroism, romance and mystery of the Celtic people.

The ancient roots of the Slavs can be traced through language and archeology to the time of late Babylon, and the Vedic culture of India, but more distinct records reveal them as a military force supporting the many tribes, the Avars, the Scythians, Visigoths and Ugrics who harried the edges of the Roman empire in 600s CE. They accompanied many Celtic and the Germanic tribes, down to Constantinople and Greece before retreating to the Black Sea and territories further North. Records of their early history were written by monkish historians, after conversion to Christianity swept across the most of lands beyond the old Roman Empire in the 800s and 900s. Their mythology is similar to the Scandinavians of the era, but their lands became more extensive as their influence settled into the broad categories familiar today, with East, West and South Slavs, incorporating the Bulgarians and Hungarians too. This fascinating new book locates the history and influence of the Slavic people during the some of the most important eras in the development of European cultures.

Morgana is a mysterious figure of Arthurian legend, found in Gawain and the Green Knight and Le Morte d'Arthur, she is variously described as half-sister of King Arthur, jilted lover of Lancelot, a foil of Merlin.
A witch, a healer, she has deep roots in Celtic mythology and offers a fascinating canvas for the many writers in this new book.

Considered the epitome of heroism in Greek mythology, Achilles' bravery in combat is famously depicted in Homer’s Iliad, but every hero has their flaws.
Authors from classical times all the way through to late Antiquity and the modern era have interpreted his character in a multitude of ways, and this latest book continues the tradition, exploring everything from his exploits in the war and interactions with Agamemnon, Patroclus, Hector and more, back to his early days as an infant dipped into the River Styx, exposing one vulnerable heel.

Circe has been best-known in these terms, through the male gaze of Homer, Hesiod et al., as interpreted by readers and storytellers until today.
Rarely does the classic literature give us a rounded view of a woman subject to the same flaws and emotions as anyone: jealousy, desire, unrequited love; her witchcraft is perhaps not so much dreadful as awe-inspiring and led by nature.

Anansi is at once a creator god, a trickster folk hero, a wily spider and a heroic symbol of resistance.
From his origins in West African folklore, to his lauded status in Jamaican culture, Anansi is a versatile immortal whose many stories reflect the early world of his origins, and the potential for re-imagination.

Everyone knows about Odin, the All-father, the one-eyed, all-seeing, powerful King of the Gods, presiding over his great hall Valhalla, surveying the nine realms and the billions of souls.
He bears the pain of Ragnarok, the joy of travelling in disguise through Midgard and, shapeshifting in the dusk, joins his ravens in their flights across the mythic landscape. Featuring new stories from open submissions, this enthralling book reveals the larger-than-life tales of Odin and his kin, their adventures in the ancient and the modern world, with the gods, the giants.

Variously described as a fiend, a monster, a charming seductress who was felled by the righteous might of Perseus, son of Zeus, Medusa is perhaps the most misunderstood of mythological women.
Described by male historians, poets and epic writers such as Hesiod and Ovid, there are many aspects of her imagined life which find resonance in the struggles of the outsider, the cursed and those used in the service of another's vision of the world around them. This fascinating collection brings together new stories and ancient origins, offering a wider perspective on the whole life of the powerful, wonderful Medusa.

The Myths of Ancient Egypt are tied intimately to the presence and natural rhythms of the Nile. With their complex and evolving mythology, the Egyptians explained the effects of famine, harvest, floods and death by creating a pantheon of gods that still holds our fascination today.

This title brings to life the beginnings of human experience, the irrigation of the Nile, the origins of hieroglyphics in demarcation of land and water resources as the first people of North Africa gathered around the Nile to create one of the greatest and most enduring civilisations, one that fascinated the later titans of Antiquity, the Greeks and Romans.
From these lands come the pyramids, the statues and the great Kings such as Khufu (reigning 2589–2566 BC), Hatshepsut (reigning 1478–1458 BC), Amenhotep III (reigning 1388–1351 BC), Akhenaten (reigning 1351–1334 BC), Tutankhamun (reigning 1332–1323 BC) and Ramses II (reigning 1279–1213 BC).

orea's myths and folklore are rooted in the ancient history of a land inhabited since Neolithic times. The earliest years are subject to myth with some references to the Gojoseon Kingdom being found in the northern region of Korea and Southern province of China in the 2300s BCE. Records become more reliable from the middle of the first millennium BCE before a 700-year stretch which is referred to as The Three Kingdom period before the ultimate domination of one of those Kingdoms, Silla, roughly at the time of the Viking Age in Europe and Scandinavia.

The story of Ancient India, the vast land that stretches from the Himalayas in the North to the Oceans far south, can be traced back to the 8th millennium BCE.
Later, in the mid-3000s, the first cities of the great Indus or Harappan Civilization rose around the basin of the Indus river system, a little earlier than the Ancient Egyptians around their Nile, or the Sumerians between the Tigris and the Euphrates.
Tales of gods and peoples from this period were written for the first time, from older oral traditions, in the Sanskrit of Vedas in the mid-1500s, when Babylon was at its height, and the culture of Mycenaean Greeks would flower and collapse. In the 1st millennium BCE Indian civilization shifted south to the Ganges, where the great literature of the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyana recorded the glory and the power of the gods, and the worship of a people whose vibrant culture is a reflection of its lands and the migrations of its ancestors.

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'.

William Morris was an outstanding character of many talents, being an architect, writer, social campaigner, artist and, with his Kelmscott Press, an important figure of the Arts and Crafts movement. Many of us probably know him best, however, from his superb furnishings and textile designs, intricately weaving together natural motifs in a highly stylized two-dimensional fashion influenced by medieval conventions.

Many medieval writers, especially from France and Wales, wrote stories about the great British leader, King Arthur. Legends, folklore and myths from this period come together to paint a picture of who he was with some describing him as a great warrior, defending Britain from its enemies, while others suggest Arthur had magical qualities. Throughout this mystery, King Arthur has become an iconic figure, known for his court and knights and his chivalric adventures. This collection offers a selection of myths, featuring Arthur’s knights of the round table, his love for Queen Guinevere and of course the ultimate betrayal by his most trusted knight, Sir Lancelot.

Gorgeous Collector's Edition. Ancient Rome began as a village of humble dwellings on the Palatine and grew to be one of the mightiest and most successful empires of human history, before collapsing in the West under invasions of barbarian nations attracted by Rome's wealth and land, over a thousand years later. The legacy of Rome continues in the languages of modern Europe, in the calendar and the alphabet we use, and in the religion called Christianity which remains the dominant faith throughout the Western world. In this book you'll find thrilling stories of the legendary founding of Rome, its conquest of Italy and its victory over the Carthaginians, the rise of the Republic and the Empire, the recruitment and training of men for the legions, how the city's aqueducts worked, the destruction of Rome in the Great Fire, and the extraordinary lives of the most famous Caesars.

The Norse legends of Odin, Thor, Loki and all the gods of Asgard are well known, but less so are the historical origins of civilization in the very early days of Norway and wider Scandinavia which evolved this dramatic mythology. Archaeology furnishes us with fascinating evidence of the progress of the peoples and their way of life, until later the skaldic poets began to write down and celebrate the life and exploits of their rulers, establishing divine authority through legend and myth. The various tribes of the more southerly regions – from the Geats (Gautar or Goths) of Götaland and the Swedes (Suiones) to the Cimbri of Jutland – migrated and expanded north to evolve from tribal systems into fully fledged kingdoms.

A gorgeous Collector's Edition covering the history of Japan from prehistoric times to the end of the Heian period. Japan has gripped the imagination of readers of their spiritual and delicate myths, ghost stories and folktales for many generations but there is much more to draw our fascination. From the veneration of Mount Fuji to the long periods of isolation from other countries, to the warring kingdoms and the inception of the martial rule of the Shogunates, this history reveals the origins of the civilization that produced some of Japan's most beautiful art and literature and influences on modern Japanese culture.

Rich and delicate, ethereal and muscular, the art of William Blake is as fascinating as the philosophies threading through his poetry and prophetic works. Presented here in this magnificent new collection, his vivid paintings and gently weaving illustrations are imprinted in the consciousness of Romantic art, but their impact on Gothic literature remains as strong and quixotic as the artist himself.

Van Gogh Masterpieces of Art features all of the best-known works of one of the most famous artists in the world, preceded by a fresh and thoughtful introduction providing lively commentary on his life, society, places and style and techniques, including the powerful animation of his strident brushwork.

Focusing on Art Deco graphic art and illustration, this gorgeous new book features fascinating text on the movement in general, fashion and advertising, accompanied by beautiful reproductions of work by talents such as Barbier, Erté, Cassandre and Colin. Sympathetic examples of other forms of Art Deco are also included.

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.