Books in Folk Tales From Around the World series

This collection of Basque legends, fairy tales, ballads, and popular stories having their origin in the ancient traditions which formed a portion of the sacred inheritance bequeathed to the Basque people by their forefathers, and handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. These tales constitute the archives of the Basque people, the treasures of their science and of their beliefs; they are the records of the lives of their forefathers, the landmarks of the grandeur of their past history. In the midst of the great revolutions which have agitated the whole of Europe, causing radical changes, levelling to the ground or converting into ruins great empires, powerful nationalities, monuments; sweeping away languages, and even the very races themselves--the Basques have somehow passed unscathed through the many storms of devastation, preserving intact their nationality, institutions, laws, language, and customs. In this volume you will find the tales of Aquelarre, Arguiduna, The Song of Lamia, the Prophecy of Lara, the Virgin of the Five Towns and more. So take some time out and travel back to a period before television, or even radio for that matter, when families would gather around a crackling and spitting hearth and granddad or grandma or an uncle or aunt would delight and captivate their audience with stories passed on to them from their mothers, fathers and grandparents. A percentage of the net sale from this book will be donated to charities for educational scholarships for the underprivileged.

This volume is a treasure chest of classic Eastern tales drawing on the rich folklore of Turkey. Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales has not been in print for almost 100 years, mainly because the original edition had lavish production standards. On the used market, mint copies of the 1913 original can cost up to four figures. This volume is appropriately titled Fairy Tales because something definitely 'fairy' occurs. There are talking animals, flying horses, birds that magically change into beautiful maidens, quests to win the hand of a princess, magical objects, simple, yet brave, peasants, wizards, witches, dragons and dungeons, epic journeys, and loveable fools. The majority of these stories contain encounters with 'Dews', or Turkish supernatural beings, better known in the West as 'Genies.' Sometimes the Turkish Dews are also called 'Arabs!' There are many other specifically Turkish elements and references in the stories, for which the glossary at the end of the book is of particular help. So this isn't simply an orientalised set of European Tales, but was drawn from an authentic Turkish oral storytelling tradition by Dr. Ignácz Kúnos . Plus, there are almost 200 illustrations exquisitely crafted by Willy Pogany. While our production is not as lavish as the original, it does contain the original illustrations. Note: some of the illustrations could be considered unsuitable by 21st Century standards because they can be considered as caricatures with obvious ethnic stereotypes. However, in most cases, the illustrator is portraying imaginary creatures, which are supposed to be grotesque. Also to be remembered is the book was originally produced in 1913 when the world's attitudes towards racial tolerance and acceptance were quite different to those of today. 33% of the net will be donated to charities in Turkey for education scholarships

Thabo Tortoise and Bosede Baboon are best friends, but sometimes they play tricks on each other. In this popular tale from Africa, the pair realize that being mean is not so fun in the end. Embark on a round-the-world trip through this collection of fables from lands near and far. The Fables from Around the World books combine simple language and engaging stories bring timeless principles to life. Each story concludes with a moral to make it easy to apply the lessons.