Literature / Folk Tales and Myths

Washington, D.C., U.S.A.: Counterpoint, 2000. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/Very Good. Berriault, Gina. In the last year of her life, critically-acclaimed novelist Gina Berriault wrote and illustrated The Great Petrowski, an ecological fable about a lonely parrot, lost in a nameles rainy city, homesick for a place he can't quite remember. But Petrowski, blessed with a dazzling singing voice, quickly skyrockets from obscurity to international renown. As a magnificent opera star he finds true love and uses his gift of fame to save not only his native rainforest but all creatures of the earth. The charming illustrations, rendered with the same simplicity and wit as the text, will remind some of Sempe, or Edward Gorey, or of Bemelman's bar at the Hotel Carlyle. The Great Petrowski is a magical love story as well as a moral fable that shows how the gift of talent and dedication to one's art can aid a troubled world. The book has a 1" black remainder mark on the bottom pages. The jacket is a bit rubbed along the right flap, has a few small bumps on the top back, ans has minor wear at the bottom corners. 79 pages, illustrations use color sparingly. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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Wilmington, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1971. 7th Printing. Soft Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. Williams Jr., Berkeley. Humor, freshness, colorful American background, and the use of one character as a central figure in the cycle mark these eighteen folk tales, told here in the dialect of the mountain country of North Carolina. - Booklist These stories were collected and retold by the author. Fun tales of mischief and giants, and things that couldn't be explained. Populated with illustrations. 202 pages including an appendix and glossary. The cover has a 1" white line on it, and on the inside there is a gift ?nscription. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. more information

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New York: St. Martin's Press, 1979. No Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Fine. Costello, Peter. Fabulous birds and animals have fascinated and intrigued from the earliest times: The Greeks had their centaurs and satyrs, the Chinese their Kai-Lin and Feng Wang, and today we have Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. But is there any truth to these myths? Do real animals or real animal behavior lurk behind the legends? Peter Costello examines a wide arrange of strange creatures in his attempt to uncover the truth. Moving from dragons to griffons and beyond, he skillfully combines mythology and zoology in his study of animals in his engrossing and highly readable style. Included in this delightful book are accounts and illustrations not only of such well-known creatures as the minotaur and the phoenix, but also such lesser-known beasts as the Vegetable Lamb, the Giant Ants of India (I sure believe those!), and the Barnacle Goose. The Magic Zoo does for the community of mermaids and unicorns what recent best sellers have done for gnomes, faeries, and witches. 222 pages, including an extensive bibliography and index. On the page sides are three tiny rust-like marks. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New York: Harry N Abrams Inc, 2003. First Printing. Hard Cover. New/New. Froud, Brian. The ancient, mystical runes of Celtic and European origin provide a rich source of inspiration for the faery authority and fantasy artist Brian Froud's evocative paintings, which interpret these potent symbols through the prism of Elfland - the world of faeries and myth. With text by poet and folklorist Ari Berk, the secret meanings of these runes are teased out; the power they offer us is made manifest. By using the runes and Froud's paintings as tools to explore both the "seen" and "unseen" worlds, this book will inspire readers to re-imagine their own lives and tell their own tales. Both storybook and oracle, this volume provides a wellspring of personal insight for the Froud fan and rune aficionado. 112 pages, full color illustrations. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. more information

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Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.: Univ of Hawaii Pr, 1997. No Edition. Hard Cover. New/No Jacket. Ji, Li. South of the clouds, in the land of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, dwell the descendants of a once pastoral people, the Nakhi. Today there are still Nakhi who follow their ancient traditions, and Nakhi folktales reflect their beliefs. In the legends presented here we discover why the Sun - hot-tempered and impetuous, is unpleasant to look at, while the graceful Moon attracts us with her silvery light; why the azalea, for all her beauty, lives the shortest and saddest of lives. In a Nakhi creation tale, we learn that the oceans and mountains are the result of a terrible battle in which Sumei Naga, a beautiful but greedy sepent, is slain for stealing a jeweled egg. The ten stories, illustrated with delightful paintings by celebrated artist Li Ji, welcome us into the unique and little-known world of the Nakhi. Fully illustrated - still in publishers wrap. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New York: Thames & Hudson, 1995. No Edition. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Photographs. Out of the darkness, out of the primeval forest, comes the hero who will save the world. He is the protector, the man of invincible might. The greatest names in history and mythology of all races are those of heroes - Herakles and Samson, Perseus and St. George - who fought with monsters to rescue the eternal Woman, the princess, the anima. But the nature of these monsters changed. First, the quest turned inward, taking love, intimacy, and moral self-improvement as its aims. Eventually, it moved outward again, shifting towards the far horizons of territorial expansion and intellectual invention. In this wide-ranging and deeply meditated book, John Lash brings the values of epic and myth to bear upon the cult of the hero, which, rightfully used, has led to the highest that a culture can conceive. Misused, it has led to tyranny, violence, and death. 96 pages including further reading. 132 illustrations, 16 in full color. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. more information

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Washington, D.C., U.S.A.: Natl Geographic Society, 2003. No Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Photographs. Susanna Moore's narrative begins with Captain Cook, whose arrival in 1778 fulfilled a time-honored Hawaiian legend, but who quickly fell victim to the first of many misunderstandings that would shape Hawaiian history. Soon American missionaries would arrive, bringing Christianity, colonialism, and capitalism to forever change island life. The story that unfolds in these pages is not the tale of savagery that characterized so many chronicles of the age. Lili'uokalani, the last queen, did not lose her throne until 1893; when she died in 1917, she was still a revered and dignified figure. But the old chants, elaborate rituals, graceful rythms of the classical hula died out, vanished underground, or were transformed into quaint customs that survived to charm tourists. As Moore summons her own childhood in the 1950s and '60s, she captures the distinct flavor of an island life still deeply affected by traditional beliefs. This is the portrait of an extraordinary world, where even today the bustle of modern life yields to the quiet yet powerful murmur of the past. 184 pages including notes. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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Harper & Brothers, 1946. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/No Jacket. Lissim, Simon. Binding is fine, black with gold lettering. Spine is sun-lightened. 20 Georgian folk tales; 227 pages, fine condition. Illustrations throughout. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. more information

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Verlag Hoursch & Bechstedt Bonn, 1969. Hard Cover. Fine/Very Good. The dustjacket has wear at the top left and bottom right, and the flap on the front is worn through about half way. The intriguing artwork on the front is in full color. Written by "a true son of the Rhineland." 124 pages. A very unique book, very small with fictional stories that relate to the Rhineland. 24mo - over 5" - 5¾" tall. more information

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Verlag Hoursch & Bechstedt Bonn, 1969. Hard Cover. Fine/Very Good. The dustjacket has wear at the top left and bottom right, and the flap on the front is worn through about half way. The intriguing artwork on the front is in full color. Written by "a true son of the Rhineland." 124 page s, 4" x 5.75" high. 24mo - over 5" - 5¾" tall. more information

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United Kingdom: Watkins Pub Ltd, 2002. No Edition. Hard Cover. As New/As New. Rumi wrote and collected myriad tales for his classic, mystical work The Mathnawi. Arthur Scholey provides an inviting taster to Rumi's great work. Here are stories of magic birds, of ants, mice, hares and lions, of camels, donkeys, and parrots - including some of the earliest parrot jokes on record - tales of beggars, saints, lovers, thieves, fools, slaves and kings, and the angel of Death. As with parables, they reverse and upset expectations, directing sudden shafts of insight and understanding. This is a terrific and absorbing collection. Binding is red cloth with gold lettering on the spine. 175 decorative pages. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. more information

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New York: Orchard Books, 1991. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Magaril, Mikhail. This entertaining volume includes thirteen folk tales of The Fools of Chelm. In the town of Chelm, seven and seven are eleven. It's a matter of local logic. Also in Chelm, Berish the Shammes, so his feet shouldn't mar the beauty of any newly fallen snow while alerting merchants to the coming Sabbath, stands on a table and is carried aloft by four other Chelmites. Is that foolish? Master storyteller Steve Sanfield has listened with fond ear to the centuries-old echoes of a town "where kindness and sweetness and silliness" have dwelt side by side from the beginning. His first word to you is "enjoy," and the people of Chelm will see that you do. His last words will linger long in your memory. 102 pages including a glossary and bibliography. Illustrations are pen and ink drawings. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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