Others: Positive Legends about sea people – part human, part fish – have been told across the world since ancient times. Now the best of these stories are brought together in one entrancing volume.Early maps carried illustrations of mermaids alongside monsters, signalling both the allure and the danger of uncharted seas. The far-reaching historical and cultural significance of mermaids and their kin is reflected in the myriad stories about them.Odysseus at sea must resist the sirens’ song. There are sea serpents from North America and selkies from Scotland. And from shores across the globe, humble fishermen and princes alike fall in love with mermaids in stories from Germany to Japan by way of Denmark with the famous story of The Little Mermaid.Mermaids, Sirens and Myths and Legends is part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics bound in real cloth with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. For more myths from Jean Menzies, Fairies, Elves and Sprites is also available.
Lists: …
Jean Menzies
2025 · 256 pages · 1 review
Others: PositiveEvery country has its own cherished myths and legends featuring fairies, elves and sprites. Sixteen of these stories are collected here, chosen from all over the world.Some tales are pure entertainment, some warn of life’s dangers, whilst others offer valuable moral lessons. What they all have in common is an exploration of the unknown and a brush with the mysteries of life.There are devious elves from Iceland, a fairy masquerading as a sparrow from Japan, terrifying banshees from Ireland, trolls from Norway's forests and many more unpredictable and magical beings taking centre stage in these strange and wonderful stories.Fairies, Elves and Myths and Legends is part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics bound in real cloth with gold-foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. For more myths from Jean Menzies, Mermaids, Sirens and Selkies is also available.
What made the match, strongest first
Jean Menzies
2024 · 2 reviews
Others: PositiveThe supernatural figure of the sorcerer, someone with magic powers for both good and evil, features in storytelling and legends all over the world. As shown in this collection of wonderful stories, wicked Witches and revered Wizards have appeared in fairy tales, legends and myths for thousands of years and continue to inspire contemporary fantasy writers.Witches, Wizards and Myths and Legends is part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics bound in real cloth with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover.This lively, carefully chosen collection brings together ancient stories and famous myths, each by a different writer, from a range of cultures and eras. Some of the nineteen stories come from well known names such as Irish poet W. B. Yeats, Andrew Lang and Brothers Grimm as well as some intriguing new discoveries from Poland, Russia, India and much more.
What made the match, strongest first
Charles Perrault
1675 · 156 pages · 1 review
Others: PositiveIn these two volumes bound as one are seven fairy tales each from Perrault and Andersen.
What made the match, strongest first
Charles Perrault
2010 · 144 pages · 1 review
Others: PositiveIn eighteenth century France, Charles Perrault rescued from the oral tradition fairy tales that are known and loved even today by virtually all children in the West. Angela Carter came across Perrault's work and set out to adapt the stories for modern readers of English. In breathing new life into these classic fables, she produced versions that live on as classics in their own right, marked as much by her signature wit, irony, and subversiveness as they are by the qualities that have made them universally appealing for centuries.
What made the match, strongest first
Niccolò Machiavelli
1515 · 152 pages · 1 review
Others: NegativeThe Prince (Italian: Il Principe [il ˈprintʃipe]; Latin: De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of The Prince is of accepting that the aims of princes – such as glory and survival – can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends. From Machiavelli's correspondence, a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus (Of Principalities). However, the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death. This was carried out with the permission of the Medici pope Clement VII, but "long before then, in fact since the first appearance of The Prince in manuscript, controversy had swirled about his writings". Although The Prince was written as if it were a traditional work in the mirrors for princes style, it was generally agreed as being especially innovative. This is partly because it was written in the vernacular Italian rather than Latin, a practice that had become increasingly popular since the publication of Dante's Divine Comedy and other works of Renaissance literature.
What made the match, strongest first
Angela Carter
2005 · 486 pages · 1 review
Others: MixedOnce upon a time fairy tales weren't meant just for children. This collection contains lyrical tales, bloody tales, hilariously funny and ripely bawdy stories, from countries all around the world from the Arctic to Asia - and no dippy princesses or soppy fairies. Instead, we have pretty maids and old crones, crafty women and bad girls, enchantresses and midwives, rascal aunts and odd sisters.
What made the match, strongest first
Loved itAnd then I myself have compiled them and provided like little introductions and bits of extra material to go along with them. So if you know anybody that enjoys folktales, fairy tales, I am very proud of these and I do think the stories inside them are a ton of fun.
