Spells and Bindings

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, Yvonne Gilbert and Michael Hague. Older illustrations are mixed in. These include works by Burne-Jones, Howard Pyle, John Duncan and Edmund Dulac. 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 sleeping maidens surrounded by thorn bushes (the staff of sleeping beauty's castle). I think it was the cover that got me reading this when I was child. Chapters: Double-Edged Power: Ancient metamorphoses Webs of Enchantment: An Embowered Sleep Deliverance from Magic's Coils: A spell-shackled devotion 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. Some books might cause issues since they are about the occult, but some like The Legend of Camelot book will be completely Kosher.

This is a wonderful book for any collector or reader with an eye for stories about enchantments and the breaking of evil spells. What little girl hasn't wished for a frog to turn into a prince and what young man hasn't wished for an encounter with a fairy lady in disguise!? Old favorites and new classics; this book will charm the hearts of young and old alike.