For twenty-five centuries, the animal stories that go by the name of Aesop's Fables have amused and instructed generations of children and adults alike. The tales are still as fresh and poignant today as they were to the ancient Greeks who composed them...

An accessible exploration of how diverse cultures have explained humanity’s origins through narratives about the natural environmentDrawing from a vast array of creation myths—Babylonian, Greek, Aztec, Maya, Inca, Chinese, Hindu, Navajo, Polynesian,...

The great epic poem of Northern Europe, born deep in the heart of ancient Karelian forestsSharing its title with the poetic name for Finland--"the land of heroes"--Kalevala is the soaring epic poem of the Finnish people. Born of an ancient tradition of...

One of the New York Times’s Ten Best Books of the Year: These traditional stories of Italy, retold by a literary master, are “a treasure” (Los Angeles Times).Filled with kings and peasants, saints and ogres—as well as some quite extraordinary plants and...

A classic, enchanting document of Scottish folklore about fairies, elves, and other supernatural creatures.Late in the seventeenth century, Robert Kirk, an Episcopalian minister in the Scottish Highlands, set out to collect his parishioners’ many...

Presented in a brand new translation, this most comprehensive collection of classic Russian tales will enchant readers for their raw beauty and constant ability to surprise and excite.Towards the middle of the nineteenth century, following the example of...

Reynard—a subversive, dashing, anarchic, aristocratic, witty fox from the watery lowlands of medieval East Flanders—is in trouble. He has been summoned to the court of King Noble the Lion, charged with all manner of crimes and misdemeanors. How will he...

An inspired and urgent prose retelling of the Maya myth of creation by acclaimed Latin American author and scholar Ilan Stavans, gorgeously illustrated by Salvadoran folk artist Gabriela Larios and introduced by renowned author, diplomat, and...

A diverse new anthology that traces the meaning and magic of the sorcerer’s apprentice tale throughout history“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” might conjure up images of Mickey Mouse from the Disney film Fantasia, or of Harry Potter. As this anthology...

A collection of radical political fairy tales―some in English for the first time―from one of the great female practitioners of the genreHermynia Zur Mühlen (1883–1951), one of the twentieth century’s great political writers, was not seemingly destined...

The first anthology to present the entire range of ancient Greek and Roman stories―from myths and fairy tales to jokesCaptured centaurs and satyrs, incompetent seers, people who suddenly change sex, a woman who remembers too much, a man who cannot...

Don’t be fooled by Tinkerbell and her pixie dust—the real fairies were dangerous. In the late seventeenth century, they could still scare people to death. Little wonder, as they were thought to be descended from the Fallen Angels and to have the power to...

An elegantly packaged new edition of a classic Chinese folk tale collection that responds to the contemporary fascination with the ancient culture of the Far East.This elegantly presented edition of Richard Wilhelm & Frederick H. Martens' classic...

A new collection of subversive French fairy talesThe wolf is tricked by Red Riding Hood into strangling her grandmother and is subsequently arrested. Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella do not live happily ever after. And the fairies are saucy, angry, and...

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST POETRY BOOK OF THE YEARIn the beginning, the world is spoken into existence with one word: “Earth.” There are no inhabitants, and no sun—only the broad sky, silent sea, and sovereign Framer and Shaper. Then come the twin heroes...

"From the Bible through Dante and up to Treblinka and Guantánamo Bay, here is a rich source for nightmares." --The New York Times Book ReviewThree thousand years of visions of Hell, from the ancient Near East to modern AmericaA Penguin ClassicFrom the...

Why have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe’s history"Traces the idea of witches far beyond the Salem witch trials to beliefs and attitudes about witches around the...