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Category:
Myth & Folklore
African Dilemma Tales by William R. Bascom
£35.00
Second hand / Antiquarian.
Published: Mouton Publishers, The Hague, 1975
Condition: Good. Dust jacket slightly torn near top right hand corner. In protectice cellophane wrapper.
Pages clean and unmarked.
"Dilemma tales constitute a large, diverse, and widespread class of folktales in Africa. They are prose narratives that leave the listeners with a choice among alternatives, such as which of several characters has done the best, deserves a reward, or should win an argument or a case in court. The choices are difficult ones and usually involve discrimination on ethical, moral, or legal grounds. Other dilemma tales, which border on tall tales, ask the listeners to judge the relative skills of characters who have performed incredible feats. The narrator ends his story with the dilemma, often explicitly stated in the form of a question, to be debated by his listeners. Sometimes the dilemma is resolved by the narrator after his listeners have argued their conflicting points of view, but often it is not."
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The Slavic Myths by Noah Charney & Svetlana Slapsak
£18.00 £20.00
Pulitzer-nominated author and one of the great public intellectuals of Slavic culture bring to life the unfamiliar myths and legends of the Slavic world. Slavic cultures are far-ranging, comprising of East Slavs (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), West Slavs (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland) and South Slavs (the countries of former Yugoslavia plus Bulgaria), yet they are connected by tales of adventure and magic with deep roots in a common lore. In this first collection of Slavic myths for an international readership, Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapsak expertly weave together a retelling of the ancient stories with nuanced analysis that illuminates their place at the heart of Slavic tradition.
Though less familiar to us than the legends of ancient Egypt, Greece and Scandinavia, in the world of Slavic mythology we find much that we can recognize: petulant deities, demons and faeries; witches, the sinister vestica, whose magic may harm or heal; a supreme god who can summon storms and hurl thunderbolts. Gods gather under the World Tree, reminiscent of Norse mythology's Yggdrasill; or, after the coming of Christianity, congregate among the clouds. The vampire - usually the only Serbo-Croatian word in any foreign-language dictionary - and the werewolf emerge from the shallow graves of Slavic belief.
In their careful analysis and sensitive reconstructions of the origin stories, Charney and Slapsak unearth the Slavic beliefs before their distortion first by Christian chroniclers and then by 19th-century scholars seeking origin stories for their new-born nation states. They reveal links not only to the neighbouring pantheons of Greece, Rome, Egypt and Scandinavia but also the belief systems of indigenous peoples of Australia, the Americas, Africa and Asia. In so doing, they draw out the universalities that cut across cultures in the stories we tell ourselves.
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread by Scott Richardsson-Read
out of stock - £40.00
Limited, first edition hardback, published by the author.
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread takes readers on a captivating journey through Scotland’s landscapes, legends, and lore. This rich tapestry of folk belief and folk magic uncovers the enduring connections between land, community, and spirit, rooted in the ancestral traditions of Scotland. From animistic practices and seasonal celebrations to the struggles of resilience against suppression, this book reclaims a marginalised cultural heritage and invites readers to rediscover its relevance in the modern world. Blending deep archival research, personal storytelling, and vibrant explorations of ecology, history, and spirituality, this work is an evocative homage to Scotland’s past and a powerful call to embrace its enduring wisdom. Whether delving into the fairy faith, uncovering the rituals of ancient festivals, or examining the impact of societal upheaval, Mill Dust & Dreaming Bread offers a transformative perspective on our shared heritage and a vision of how it can inspire us today.
This limited edition, specially crafted book, supported by a Kickstarter, is for seekers, storytellers, and all who yearn to connect with the echoes of an ancient land.
The Watkins Book of English Folktales by Neil Philip
£13.49 £14.99
This is a golden treasury of over one hundred English folktales captured in the form they were first collected in past centuries. Read these classic tales as they would have been told when storytelling was a living art - when the audience believed in boggarts and hobgoblins, local witches and will-o'-the-wisps, ghosts and giants, cunning foxes and royal frogs. Find "Jack the Giantkiller", "Tom Tit Tot" and other quintessentially English favourites, alongside interesting borrowings, such as an English version of the Grimms' "Little Snow White" - as well as bedtime frighteners, including "Captain Murderer", as told to Charles Dickens by his childhood nurse.
Neil Philip has provided a full introduction and source notes on each story that illustrate each tale's journey from mouth to page, and what has happened to them on the way. These tales rank among the finest English short stories of all time in their richness of metaphor and plot and their great verbal dash and daring.
© 2025 Watkins Books. WATKINS MEDIA LIMITED. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 9171151. COMPANY REGISTRATION ADDRESS: SHEPPERTON HOUSE UNIT 11, 89 SHEPPERTON ROAD, LONDON, ENGLAND, N1 3DF.
