Seekers and Saviors

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. Artists include Alicia Austin, Julek Heller, Matt Mahurin, Susan Gallagher, Troy Howell, John Howe, Gary Kelley, Yvonne Gilbert and Michael Hague. Older illustrations are mixed in. These include works by Vasnetsov, Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. Each chapter follows the format of general information and then a long story that illustrates the theme of the chapter. 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 hero and his maiden riding a wolf through a forest. I think it was the cover that got me reading this when I was child. Chapters: Under the Wing of Magic: An undying guardianship Tests of Love and Loyalty: A slave maiden's eye for evil Strong Arms, Sturdy Hearts: The quest of the fair unknown 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 a book of tales about the conflicts and interchanges between the world of mankind and the world of the old ones, the elder race, the fair folk. These are tales of a time when the rule of men was on the rise and the rule of magic was passing from the earth. Sometimes it seems that old scores are being settled with the human usurpers, other times, like the worthyness of humans to rule is being tested. In any case, these stories chiefly survived unto the present day as "faery tales" to amuse children. Yet, just perhaps, they are something more....There is a great variety of material gathered in this volume. You have classic tales from the celtic Mabinogion, the Arthurian Romances, the Tales of the Arabian Nights, on the other hand, you have folk and fairy tales from France, Germany, Scotland, Sweden, Iceland, etc.This is another excellent volume from the "Enchanted World" series published by Time Life. The illustrations are especially fine, and come from a great variety of classic sources and illustrators.