W. H. D. Rouse – författare

The Adventures that Shaped the Western World

First published in 1934, Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece has become one of the most popular, enduring--and captivating--retellings of the ancient myths for modern readers. Recognizing the sheer entertainment value of these timeless adventures, world renowned classical scholar W.H.D. Rouse delighted his students at the Perse School in Cambridge, England, with a conversational style and childlike wonder that made the legends come alive--a rare storytelling gift that continues to engage young and old alike.

Many of the characters in this book are familiar to us--Helen of Troy, Icarus, Zeus, Athena, to name just a few--but rarely have their stories of war and adventure, bravery and romance, been so simply and thrillingly told. From the strong-arm heroics of Heracles, to the trickery of the Trojan Horse, from the seductions of Circe the sorceress, to the terrors of the Cyclops and Minotaur, these legends have outlived the culture that bore them. But while the ancient Greeks may be long gone, their fables and morals, their heroes and heroines, live on today…

This whimsical collection of tales is based on the Buddhist collection of Jātaka tales. However, the author confesses to ‘ruthlessly’ altering them for the amusement of children and occasionally borrowing a ‘phrase or a versicle’. He opens the book with a warning;“To this work I refer all scholars, folklorists and scientific persons generally: warning them that if they plunge deeper into these page, they will be horribly shocked.”These wonderful tales are accompanied by many beautiful and intricate black and white illustrations by W. Heath Robinson. An English cartoonist and illustrator, best known for drawings of ridiculously complicated machines – for achieving deceptively simple objectives. Such was (and is) his fame, that the term ‘Heath Robinson’ entered the English language during the First World War, as a description of any unnecessarily complex and implausible contrivance. Originally published in 1897, we are now republishing it here as part of our ‘Pook Press’ imprint, celebrating the golden age of illustration in children’s literature.

This gorgeous book is a collection of 43 Indian folk-tales superbly illustrated by W. Heath Robinson. These tales were originally collected by William Crooke but are retold here by W. D. Rouse to delight children. Rouse has chosen to keep this selection confined to the Beast Stories which are particularly interesting as being mostly indigenous and little affected by so-called Aryan influence. Any changes made by Rouse have been included in a notes section which also include the sources of each tale alongside a few obvious parallels or references to literature of the subject.Tales include: The Talking Thrush, The Judgment of the Jackal, The Camel’s Neck, The Foolish Wolf, The Grateful Goat, The King of Mice, The Bull and the Bullfinch and many more. These wonderful tales are accompanied by many beautiful and intricate black and white illustrations by W. Heath Robinson. An English cartoonist and illustrator, best known for drawings of ridiculously complicated machines – for achieving deceptively simple objectives. Such was (and is) his fame, that the term ‘Heath Robinson’ entered the English language during the First World War, as a description of any unnecessarily complex and implausible contrivance. Originally published in 1899, we are now republishing it here as part of our ‘Pook Press’ imprint, celebrating the golden age of illustration in children’s literature.

This is W. H. D. Rouse''s 1863 English-language translation of "One Thousand and One Nights", a collection of South Asian and Middle Eastern folk tales compiled during the Islamic Golden Age. It was anthologised over hundreds of years by a variety of scholars, authors, and translators across Asia and North Africa, with the stories having roots in medieval Persian, Arabic, Mesopotamian, Jewish, Indian, and Egyptian folklore. Exquisitely illustrated by W. H. D. Rouse, this classic collection would make for perfect bedtime reading material and is not to be missed by lovers of folklore and classic fairy tales. Walter Stanley Paget (1863-1935) was an English artist and illustrator whose fantastic work adorned books and magazines in late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century London. Other notable works illustrated by Paget include: "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1891-93), "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1902), and "Thomas Hardy: A Bibliographical Study" (1968). The stories in this collection include: "Sinbad the Sailor", "Ali Baba and his Forty Thieves", "The Story of King Shahriar and Sheherazade", "The Story of the Fisherman and the Genie", "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp", "The Enchanted Horse", "The Little Hunchback", "The Story of Ali Cogia, Merchant of Bagdad", "The Story of the Vizir who was Punished", "The Story of the Husband and the Parrot", and many more. Pook Press celebrates the great ''Golden Age of Illustration'' in children''s literature - a period of unparalleled excellence in book illustration. We publish rare and vintage classic illustrated books, in high-quality colour editions, so that the masterful artwork and story-telling can continue to delight both young and old.