Originally West Virginians told these hundred stories not for idle amusement but to report supernatural experiences that defied ordinary human explanation. From jealous rivals and ghostly children to murdered kinsmen and omens of death, these tales reflect the inner lives-the hopes, beliefs, and fears-of a people. Like all folklore, these tales reveal much of the history of the region: its isolation and violence, the passions and

    A classic picture of the rural past in a remote Suffolk village, revealed in the conversations of old people who recall harvest customs, home crafts, poetic usages in dialect, old farm tools, smugglers' tales, and rural customs and beliefs going back to the time of Chaucer.

    From "sugaring-time," spring plowing, and June weddings, to strawberry picking, weeding season, the fall harvest, and cider-making, his winning book recalls the rustic endeavors of not so long ago, when the time of year determined when a tree was to be chopped down, fences rebuilt, and tree stumps pulled out.More than 70 of the author's own pen-and-ink drawings charmingly depict cider mills and presses, sleds, pumps and wells, axes, plows, and other elements of America's rural heritage. A section of old recipes and household hints adds additional color and practical value to this delightful book."Anyone with an eye for antiques and a yen to know America from the roots up will treasure this detailed record of seasonal life in new England." — Chicago Sunday Tribune

    The Old Witch (England) 2. Rapunzel (Germany) 3. Lazy Hans (Germany) 4. The Twins and the Snarling Witch (Russia) 5. Esben and the Witch (Denmark) 6. Prunella (Italy) 7. The Donkey Lettuce (Germany) 8. Hansel and Gretel (Germany)9. Tatterhood (Norway) 10. The White Dove (Denmark) 11. Johnny and the Witch Maidens (Bohemia) 12. The Blackstairs Mountains (Ireland)

    The few published ballad editions that existed were unreliable, filled with unacknowledged editorial changes and distortions of the original manuscripts. Professor Child compiled all the extant ballads with all known variants, and made them available for the first time — together with his invaluable commentary that prefaces each work — in a single source that maintained absolute fidelity to the original texts. Published between 1882 and 1898, the original ten-part study became the definitive collection of popular ballads in the English language, never to be superceded. To this day, scholars and devotees speak of "The Child Ballads" with the awe and respect generated by few other literary works. Volume 1: Parts I and II of the original set, ballads 1-53 including "Edward," "Lord Randal," "Tam Lin," "Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight," "Earl Brand," "Thomas Rymer," more. Biographical sketch of Child by Prof. Kittredge, Child's portrait, additions and corrections.

    

    Fifty-two Yiddish short stories describe life in the shetl and other aspects of the Jewish experience, and include works produced by Jewish writers during the last two centuries.

    Its greatest treasures were discovered in royal tombs and were inevitably connected with the cult of the dead.But the picture of a gloomy march to the grave is a false one. It results from the accident of survival--the royal tombs were built like fortresses and their spectacular contents overshadowed by the evidence of everyday life. This book shows the truer picture: it demonstrates the remarkable diversity of the gods of Egypt and tells the stories that were told about them, and shows how profound and complete were the beliefs which covered the span of life of the ordinary man, no less than that of Pharaoh, who was regarded as a god on earth.

    in full color. The Caldecott Medalist's powerful classic is now reissued in a handsome paperback edition, as well as a library edition.