Books in Illustrated Treasury series

This book is a treasure chest of 36 classic Gypsy Folk Tales and Stories, and makes fascinating reading for those interested in folklore in general, but especially for those interested in the Roma, or Gypsy, people. Francis Hindes Groome collated and prepared this collection, making only few changes and remaining true to the original stories, so to let the written story enchant us as if it were being presented in the vernacular. The stories are further enhanced by the numerous impressive illustrations recently completed by Maggie Gunzel the Dutch artist and illustrator who, unlike many illustrators of the 19th C. and 20th C, has stayed true to the subject matter. A percentage of the net sale from this book will be donated to the Relief Fund for Romania. In his various other works, Groome raises the point that Europe possibly owes a great deal of its folklore heritage to Gypsies, who brought tales from East to West. If this is the case, then even the most rooted of Europeans must attribute a portion of his culture to the Gypsy lifestyle. Simply stated, these stories are his stories, but in an earlier form. In recent times, much has been written and reported in the press about "Travellers", as Gypsies are now more popularly known. All too often these reports are negative. However, the Gypsy lifestyle is simultaneously romanticised by the media and has been for generations. Because urban city dwellers "buy into the dream", put down roots, tie themselves to mortgages and keenly run the "rat race", could it be that the distrust of Gypsies and Travellers is born out of envy and a desire to pack it all in and live the relatively unpressured, simple, and free lifestyle of the Gypsies?

This book is an adaptation of the classic novel Great Expectations. In an overgrown churchyard, a grizzled convict springs upon an orphan named Pip. The convict terrifies the young boy and threatens to kill him unless Pip helps further his escape. Later, Pip finds himself in the ruined garden where he meets the bitter and crazy Miss Havisham and her foster child Estella, with whom he immediately falls in love. After a secret benefactor gives him a fortune, Pip moves to London, where he cultivates great expectations for a life which would allow him to discard his impoverished beginnings and socialize with the idle upper class. As Pip struggles to become a gentleman and is tormented endlessly by the beautiful Estella, he slowly learns the truth about himself and his illusions. This easy to read adaptation is guaranteed to hook beginning readers not yet ready to tackle the original.

Mary and I Forty Years With The Sioux By Stephen r. Riggs This book I have inscribed to my own family. It will be of interest to them, as, in part, a history of their father and mother, in the toils and sacrifices and rewards of commencing and carrying forward the work of evangelizing the Dakota people. Many others, who are interested in the uplifting of the Red Men, may be glad to obtain glimpses, in these pages, of the inside of Missionary Life in what was, not long since, the Far West; and to trace the threads of the in-weaving of a Christ-life into the lives of many of the Sioux nation. “Why don’t you tell more about yourselves?” is a question which, in various forms, has been often asked me, during these last four decades. Partly as the answer to questions of that kind, this book assumes somewhat the form of a personal narrative.......

The Night Before Christmas and Other Holiday Tales and A Christmas Carol - Treasury of Illustrated Classics (Set) The Night Before Christmas and Other Holiday Tales: 'Twas the night before Christmas, and you have a wonderful book filled with delightful holiday tales! Follow Santa as he leaves wonderful presents on Christmas Eve, two little elves as they change a poor shoemaker's life, a little fir tree and so many more characters as they celebrate the Christmas season! A Christmas Carol: Ebenezer Scrooge is a penny-pinching, mean, old miser. He treats his family and employee poorly, and, in turn, is not a well-liked man. He especially does not like Christmas! But, one fateful Christmas Eve, he is visited by three ghosts that change his life forever!

NOTE: This book has been illustrated and published by the students of Edgbarrow School in Berkshire, England as a special project to raise funds for their Ghana Sponsorship campaign. DESCRIPTION: The Yoruba people are descendants from a variety of West African communities. They are united by Geography, History, Religion and most importantly their Language. Many years ago, before the advent of the West African slave trade, the Yoruba people inhabited an area which stretched, along the coast of West Africa, all the way inward and down to Angola in South West Africa. Today this is not the case. The legends and fairy stories in this book belong to the Yoruba. They relate the adventures of men and animals, and try to explain the mysteries of Nature-Why Women have Long Hair, How the Leopard got his Spots, the Three Magicians, the Boa-Constrictor, How the Elephant got his Trunk and more. These stories grew from the imagination of the people. We read these folk-tales for their quaintness and humour, for their sympathy with Nature, and because we find in them the ideas and ideals, not just of one man, but of a race of people. IN modern times we have begun paying close attention to folklore - old tales, not invented by one man, but belonging to the whole people; not written down, but told by parents to their children, and so handed on for hundreds of years. The legends express primitive notions of right and wrong. As a rule, the wicked are punished and the good rewarded; and that, we feel, is as it should be. We may weep at the death of rascally Tortoise, but we may also feel that he somehow has deserved his fate!