Illustrated Classic Editions – serie

Stories of Gods and Monsters Scandinavians of the Viking era explored the mysteries of life through their sagas. Folklorist Helene Adeline Guerber brings to life the gods and goddesses, giants and dwarves, and warriors and monsters of these stories in her classic Tales of Norse Mythology. Ranging from the comic to the tragic, these legends are packed with such legendary figures as the beautiful and fierce Valkyries, the wily trickster Loki, and the mighty god Thor. They tell of passion, love, friendship, pride, courage, strength, loyalty, and betrayal. Packed with colorful illustrations, Tales of Norse Mythology is necessary reading for anybody who is interested in learning more about Nordic legends, or who simply likes a great story.

First published by Walt Whitman, in 1855, Leaves of Grass is the landmark poetry collection that introduced the world to a new and uniquely American form. Alive with the mythical strength and vitality that epitomized the American experience in the nineteenth century, and published here with rarely collected illustrative woodcuts by Rockwell Kent, Leaves of Grass continues to inspire, uplift, and unite those who read it. Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,Missing me one place search another,I stop some where waiting for you. —“Song of Myself”

In this lavishly illustrated volume, A.B. Mitford presents ancient Japanese tales filled with action, romance, and the supernatural. Proud lords and their loyal retainers, a brave samurai and his faithless wife, a vampire cat, and howling spirits are all featured in the engaging stories that follow, including:* The Forty-Seven Ronin: In this account of fierce heroism, a band of ronin—masterless samurai who wander the country as somewhat disreputable knights errant—swear to lay down their lives to avenge their lord, who was condemned to hara kiri and his property and castle forfeited to the state.* How Tajima Shumé was Tormented by a Devil of his Own Creation: When a traveling ronin amasses great wealth with a dead priest’s money, he finds himself confronted with a fearful vision of the man he murdered. * The Badger’s Money: An old priest takes pity on a helpless badger that asks to enter his warm cottage so that it may live through a bitterly cold night.Appendices covering hara kiri and funeral rites conclude this collection of mesmerizing stories about Japanese life in days of yore.

The myths of Greece and Rome have provided us with timeless tales of the ancient past, when the world was young and the gods and goddesses shared it with men and women. Classical Mythology provides a complete panoply of these colorful myths, including those that have become familiar references in countless works of world literature: ·Prometheus’s theft of fire ·The twelve labors of Hercules ·Icarus’s flight too close to the sun ·Jason’s recovery of the Golden Fleece ·Perseus’s slaying of the MedusaThese myths have inspired some of the greatest paintings and sculptures in western art. This volume is illustrated with more than sixty reproductions of classical art that span five centuries and bring these tales of heroes and heroines and their adventures with the gods and goddesses of antiquity vividly to life.

“Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost.” In Inferno, the first of the three books in his Divine Comedy, the poet Dante, adrift spiritually and emotionally in life, journeys down to Hell. Accompanied by the poet Virgil, Dante travels through all nine circles of the realm, meeting an array of sinners from Christian and classical history and legend. The terror and confusion he experiences ultimately give way to an understanding of the divine plan and the realization of divine love. Written in the 14th century, Dante’s epic poem is a masterful meditation on the personal search for spiritual redemption. This fully illustrated edition features more than seventy engravings by Gustave Doré that bring the horrors and the majesty of Dante’s creation vividly to life.

Grimm's Fairy Tales collects more than forty of the best-known fairy tales set down by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the early decades of the nineteenth century, among them "Little Red Riding Hood," "Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "Rapunzel," "Rumpelstiltskin," and "Tom Thumb." In these wonderfully entertaining stories frogs transform into handsome princes, servant girls become princesses, clever peasants outwit disdainful nobles, kings learn valuable lessons from their servants, the poor outshine their betters, animals talk like people, virtue is rewarded, and bad behavior is punished. Illustrated throughout and including more than thirty full-color plates by Arthur Rackham, Grimm's Fairy Tales is a treasure trove of magical stories that will appeal to readers of all ages.

Sprung from the shadowed recesses of Edgar Allan Poe’s imagination, these nineteen tales of mystery and the macabre testify to the brilliance of their author’s dark genius. Included are such enduring classics as "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall; of the House of Usher," "The Black Cat," "The Masque of the Red Death," and "The Cask of Amontillado." Each story is colorfully illustrated by the classic artwork of Harry Clarke, in whom Poe found one of his most sensitive and sympathetic interpreters.