The Penguin Book Of World Folk Tales
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Yellowed
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
From the windswept steppes of Central Asia to the sun-baked villages of West Africa, The Penguin Book of World Folk Tales gathers the most vivid, enduring stories that humanity has told around its fires for centuries — a magnificent treasury of tricksters, monsters, heroes, and gods drawn from dozens of cultures across every inhabited continent. Edited by Milton Rugoff and illustrated by Joseph Low, this landmark anthology presents tales that range from the darkly cautionary to the delightfully absurd, capturing the full spectrum of the human imagination as expressed through oral tradition. Each story carries the unmistakable stamp of its culture of origin, yet resonates with themes — love, greed, courage, and fate — that are unmistakably universal. Rugoff's editorial vision is both scholarly and deeply humane; he arranges these tales not as museum pieces but as living literature, allowing readers to feel the pulse of cultures that might otherwise remain remote or inaccessible. The collection stands as an essential document of world folklore, a reminder that long before the printing press, storytelling was the most powerful technology our species possessed. Whether you are drawn to the fierce dragon-slayers of European legend or the cunning animal-tricksters of the African savanna, this anthology will leave you wondering which tale, told in which language, might have given rise to the story you thought you already knew.
Author: Milton Rugoff
Format: Paperback
Genre: Myths & legends
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Yellowed
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
From the windswept steppes of Central Asia to the sun-baked villages of West Africa, The Penguin Book of World Folk Tales gathers the most vivid, enduring stories that humanity has told around its fires for centuries — a magnificent treasury of tricksters, monsters, heroes, and gods drawn from dozens of cultures across every inhabited continent. Edited by Milton Rugoff and illustrated by Joseph Low, this landmark anthology presents tales that range from the darkly cautionary to the delightfully absurd, capturing the full spectrum of the human imagination as expressed through oral tradition. Each story carries the unmistakable stamp of its culture of origin, yet resonates with themes — love, greed, courage, and fate — that are unmistakably universal. Rugoff's editorial vision is both scholarly and deeply humane; he arranges these tales not as museum pieces but as living literature, allowing readers to feel the pulse of cultures that might otherwise remain remote or inaccessible. The collection stands as an essential document of world folklore, a reminder that long before the printing press, storytelling was the most powerful technology our species possessed. Whether you are drawn to the fierce dragon-slayers of European legend or the cunning animal-tricksters of the African savanna, this anthology will leave you wondering which tale, told in which language, might have given rise to the story you thought you already knew.