Legends of Valor (The Enchanted World Series)

This book is one in Time Life Books' The Enchanted World series. Each of these books covers a different aspect of folklore and mythology, and they are an excellent set. They tell stories in a similar format and complement each other well without repeating the content. Each is about 140 pages. This is a beautifully illustrated well printed volume. There is artwork both old and modern on almost every page. Each chapter contains a section with general background on that theme and then a fairy tale that illustrates it. Stories are retold in a style that makes for a good read. These stories come from all over the world. Often there will be smaller illustrations and captions in the margins to the main story. These tell variations of the story and related stories from other cultures. This is a beautifully bound and printed book. The binding is just cloth to collectors, but it is printed to look like a wizard's book. The cover shows a dragon holding a picture of a two knights locked in battle. I think it was the cover that got me reading this when I was child. Chapters: Lords of the Chariot and the Spear: A champion's schooling in another world The Cruel Demands of Honor: Treachery of the Niebelungs Brotherhood of the Round Table: Warriors on a world of wonders The Noblest Quest of All: The great king's final battle This is a well researched nicely produced series. For me one book in the series had me hooked. If you are interested in mythology and all things magic then it is definitely worth trying out the series. High school and middle school libraries should consider the series. This is an excellent companion to Time Life's The Fall of Camelot. These two fill in the gaps in one another, and the King Arthur legend comes to its end here. (As you can see from the contents this book covers other myths too.