Classic Folklore

This new English translation of Icelandic Fairy Tales marks the first time these stories have been translated from German to English, bringing Josef Calasanz Poestion’s celebrated 1884 collection to a new audience. Poestion’s dedication to capturing Iceland’s rugged beauty and mystical heritage shines in each tale, offering a window into a land shaped by glaciers, volcanic peaks, and an enduring love for storytelling. Within this collection, readers will meet a captivating range of characters central to Iceland’s folklore. Giants and giantesses stride through these pages, as noble ...

This #1 New York Times bestseller brilliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of The Odyssey, as she discovers her own power, forges her identity, and challenges the gods who seek to control her. "[A] bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story." —The New York Times...

Rediscover the magic and menace of Grimms Fairy Tales in a fresh edition crafted for today’s readers. This Adapted for Modern Readers version keeps the original plots, moods, and morals intact while refining archaic phrasing, cleaning up inconsistent punctuation, and presenting clear, contemporary typography. Enjoy smooth, consistent formatting on every device, lightly clarified language that never talks down to you, and a reading experience that lets the stories shine without distraction. Rooted in the oral traditions of nineteenth-century Europe, these timeless tales explore justice, ...

To save her life, a woman tells a story — and breaks it off at dawn, on a cliff, so the king who has sworn to kill her by morning must let her live one more day to hear the end. A thousand nights and one night later, Scheherazade has talked her way out of death and given the world its greatest treasury of tales. This Erato Press edition presents the Nights complete and unabridged — the full nine-volume cycle in the first complete English translation, made by the poet John Payne (1842–1916). Payne was the first to render the entire Arabic compendium into English; Richard Burton's more ...

“There it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon.” Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the Kings of Spain and now provide Kino, Juana, and their infant son with meager subsistence. Then, on...

Step back into the stories you thought you knew... and discover the darkness beneath. In Dark Fairy Tales Reimagined: 20 Twisted Versions of Classic Tales, beloved fairy tales are transformed into haunting, unsettling stories where magic comes at a price—and happy endings are never guaranteed. A glass slipper binds its wearer to a cursed fate. A hidden kingdom dances to keep an ancient evil asleep. A simple lie twists a boy into something no longer human. These are not the fairy tales of childhood. Each story drags familiar characters into shadowy worlds filled with betrayal, horror, and ...

The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion tells the earlier history of Middle-earth, recounting the events of the First and Second Ages, and introducing some of the key characters, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Elendil and the Dark Lord, Sauron. The tales of The Silmarillion are set...

To live happily harem after, you have to fight for your fairy tale. Five classic fairy tales take on a reverse harem* twist in the first installment of Happily Harem After. Experience Alice in Wonderland, The Four Clever Brothers, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, and Cinderella in ways you never have before.

From bestselling author B.B. Reid comes a wicked retelling of your favorite fairytale. America’s sweetheart has been canceled. From teen star to international phenom to the biggest celebrity in the world, Aurelia George has suddenly found herself on the other side of adoration. The public...

An utterly original celebration of that which binds humanity across battle lines and history. On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who had the gall to invade their city: they’ve herded the sorry prisoners of...

Want to discover Journey to the West without reading a thousand-page classic? Journey to the West is one of the greatest legends in world literature — but the original can feel long, dense, and difficult for modern readers. This modern retelling gives you the best of the story in a faster, clearer, more accessible form. Meet Sun Wukong, the Monkey King: rebellious, hilarious, powerful, and impossible to control. After defying Heaven itself, he is forced to protect a holy monk on a dangerous journey west, facing demons, gods, monsters, temptation, and his own impossible pride. At its heart...

Thomas Bulfinch introduces us to the gods of the Greek, Roman, and Norse mythologies. We learn their stories and we also observe the similarities between the deities of yore. Comparing these stories and characters to those of some modern religions may produce some surprising results!

Aurelia George was prepared to let the world believe she was dead. Tangled in the arms of her mountain men and bound only by the rules they make, the twice disgraced pop star had found her happily ever after. Or so she thought. The only thing surprising about learning her uncle wants her dead is...

Lycanthropy is a mysterious subject. Ancient belief in lycanthropy was widespread, and it still exists in parts of the world. Literatures all over the world have tales of men changing to animals. Werewolves are often related to demons, devils, blood, and the full moon. In this classic study, Sabine Baring-Gould, a historian, examines the literature about this matter from a serious perspective.

A Complete Journey Through the Age of Greek Gods The gods were not kind. They were not distant. They were magnificent, petty, lustful, and furious, and they made the world in their own image. Greek Mythology: The Age of Gods — Reader's Edition is the complete mythological journey: from the void of Chaos to the reign of the Olympians, through the wars, the loves, the punishments, and the tragedies that defined an entire civilization's understanding of what it means to be alive. It starts in absolute darkness and ends in the age of heroes, telling the myths the way they were always meant to...

J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings on the Second Age of Middle-earth, collected for the first time in one volume. J.R.R. Tolkien famously described the Second Age of Middle-earth as a ‘dark age, and not very much of its history is (or need be) told’. And for many years readers would need to be...

In a quiet glen beyond the reach of the railway lives a peculiar family who knows the best magic is the kind found in ordinary moments. When Ismay Gebhardt is dismissed from yet another teaching post after an unfortunate accident (which everyone survived!), she accepts a last-chance job as a...

Combined into one volume, this is the definitive collection of Tolkien’s five acclaimed modern classic ‘fairie’ tales in the vein of The Hobbit, read by Derek Jacobi. The five tales are written with the same skill, quality and charm that made The Hobbit a classic. Largely overlooked...

“Timely and punchy... won't let you look away”—The Guardian “Essential, sparklingly smart.”—Dan Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Plantagenets and Henry V A bold, expansive argument for a new way to understand immoral art in our time of cultural and political upheaval...

A beautifully illustrated, wonderfully engaging A-to-Z guide to more than 700 major and minor gods and goddesses, characters, creatures, and places of classical Greek and Roman mythology. Classical Mythology A-to-Z is a comprehensive and engrossing guide to Greek and Roman mythology. Written by...