Aucassin and Nicolette is a medieval romance written in a combination of prose and verse called a “song-story.” Created probably in the early 13th century by an unknown French author, the work deals with the love between the son of a count and a Saracen slave girl who has been converted to Christianity and adopted by a viscount. Since Aucassin’s father is strongly opposed to their marriage, the two lovers must endure imprisonment, flight, separation in foreign lands, and many other ordeals before their ardent love and fierce determination finally bring them back together...

If you have read any accounts of adventure in Africa, you will know that travelers never mention animals of any kind that are gifted with the faculty of speech, or gazelles that are overseers for native princes, or hares that eat flesh. No, indeed; only the native-born know of these; and, judging by the immense and rapid strides civilization is making in those parts, it will not be long before such wonderful specimens of zoölogy will be as extinct as the ichthyosaurus, dinornis, and other poor creatures who never dreamed of the awful names that would be applied to them when they were too long dead to show their resentment...

"The Publishers offer in this little volume of well known and long loved stories to their young readers. The tales which have delighted the children of many generations will, they feel assured, be equally welcome in the nurseries of the present day, which, with the popularity and antiquity of the contents of the volume, justify them in styling it The National Nursery Book." Red Riding Hood, The Three Bears, Mother Hubbard, Cinderella and many other well known stories, poems, nursery rhymes and songs are included in this little book. Note that the Punch and Judy story does include a lot of gratuitous violence but then that is what Punch and Judy seem to be all about, eh?

"Prometheus Bound" is the only complete tragedy of the Prometheia trilogy, traditionally assumed to be the work of Aeschylus. Jupiter has turned against Prometheus for protecting mankind and has ordered him to be chained to a rock. But Prometheus is comforted by his knowledge of a way to bring about the downfall of Jupiter.

The Aeneid is the most famous Latin epic poem, written by Virgil in the 1st century BC. The story revolves around the legendary hero Aeneas, a Trojan prince who left behind the ruins of his city and led his fellow citizens to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The first six of the poem’s twelve books tell the story of Aeneas’ wanderings from Troy to Italy, while the poem’s second half treats the Trojans’ victorious war upon the Latins. This is the recording of J.W.MacKail's prose translation.

A charming collection of short stories for young girls, including The King's Daughter, The Old Brown House, A Story for School Girls, What One Lie Did, Two Ways of Reading the Bible, Courtesy to Strangers, Live for Something, and Jennie Browning. Each story subtly teaches an important lesson.

Alcestis is the earliest surviving play by Euripides. Alcestis, the devoted wife of King Admetus, has agreed to die in his place, and at the beginning of the play she is close to death. In the first scene, Apollo argues with Thanatos (Death), asking to prolong Alcestis' life, but Thanatos refuses. Apollo leaves, but suggests that a man will come to Pherae who will save Alcestis. Euripides' play is perhaps the most unusual Greek drama ever written: a tragedy that is not a tragedy.

MANUAL OF SURGERY, OXFORD MEDICAL PUBLICATIONSBY ALEXIS THOMSON, F.R.C.S.Ed.PREFACE TO SIXTH EDITION Much has happened since this Manual was last revised, and many surgical lessons have been learned in the hard school of war. Some may yet have to be unlearned, and others have but little bearing on the problems presented to the civilian surgeon. Save in its broadest principles, the surgery of warfare is a thing apart from the general surgery of civil life, and the exhaustive literature now available on every aspect of it makes it unnecessary that it should receive detailed consideration in a manual for students...

This work, then, contains a collection of the myths, legends, and folk-lore of the principal Wabanaki, or Northeastern Algonquin, Indians; that is to say, of the Passamaquoddies and Penobscots of Maine, and of the Micmacs of New Brunswick. All of this material was gathered directly from Indian narrators, the greater part by myself, the rest by a few friends; in fact, I can give the name of the aboriginal authority for every tale except one.

Full of delightful fairy tales, charming poems and engaging stories, this is the second volume of the "My Bookhouse" series for little ones. Originally published in the 1920's as a six volume set, these books, edited by Olive Beaupre Miller, contained the best in children's literature, stories, poems and nursery rhymes. They progressed in difficulty through the different volumes.

LEGENDS, FOLK AND FAIRY TALES FROM THE AZORES. Some three-fourths of the distance between America and Europe there is a group of nine beautiful islands called the Azores which belong to Portugal. Their names are Flores, Corvo, Fayal, Pico, S. Jorge, Graciosa, Terceira, S. Miguel, and Santa Maria. Many people think them to be the mountain peaks of the submerged continent, Atlantis, which long ago was covered by the ocean.However, when I spent December 1920 and January 1921 in the Azores, I found that there were not only pleasant folktales there but even real fairies...

Dear children: Do you like Elephants? Do you believe in Giants? And do you love all the jolly people of the Wonderful Land of Oz? Well then you'll want to hear about the latest happenings in that delightful Kingdom. All are set forth in true Oz fashion in "Kabumpo in Oz," the sixteenth Oz book. Kabumpo is an Elegant Elephant. He is very old and wise, and has a kindly heart, as have all the Oz folks. In the new book you'll meet Prince Pompa, and Peg Amy, a charming Wooden Doll. There are new countries, strange adventures and the most surprising Box of Magic you have ever heard of...

A collection of some of Hans Christian Andersen's works. He is a Danish author and poet most famous for his fairy tales.

Clement Clarke Moore (July 15, 1779 – July 10, 1863) was an American Professor of Oriental and Greek Literature, as well as Divinity and Biblical Learning, at the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He is the author of the yuletide poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", which later became famous as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". This poem seems to be a 'moral' version of "The NIght Before Christmas".

Forty European folk tales. Caveats: 1. Some of these stories are not suitable for young children. 2. In two stories (10 and 25) appear the nineteenth century’s almost-reflexive Jew-stereotype and anti-Semitism.

Reynard the Fox is a literary cycle of allegorical fables in French, Dutch, English, and German, first published around 1170. The fables are largely concerned with Reynard, an anthropomorphic red fox and trickster figure.

Ten year old twins. Constantine and Adolphus are chagrined to be shipped off to a private tutor in the country. Their lot appears worse when they meet their host and his family, consisting of a wife, son Aleck (who imagines himself the perfect student) and two little girls! On top of that, they are expected to study. Fun seems in short supply when they are not even allowed to pull the cow's tail, and there is no second dinner provided. This allegorical tale can be a simple, amusing story or a lesson to us all.

A collection of some of Hans Christian Andersen's works. He is a Danish author and poet most famous for his fairy tales.

Full of delightful fairy tales, charming poems and engaging stories, this is the fifth volume of the "My Bookhouse" series for little ones. Originally published in the 1920's as a six volume set, these books, edited by Olive Beaupre Miller, contained the best in children's literature, stories, poems and nursery rhymes. They progressed in difficulty through the different volumes. Note: Due to a numbering error, the audio introductions do not say "Section 6" but jump from 5 to 7. There is no text missing.

Jataka Tales form a part of the collective Indian Fairy tales with the only distinction that most of Jataka Tales have a moral. These are famous children stories and some of the stories like the "the turtle who couldn't stop talking" and "the King's White Elephant" are so famous that they are enacted as short plays in schools and are cited as an example in daily conversations. All the stories in this collective work have a moral, most likely being narrated by an animal.

Librivox's Children's Short Works Collection 020: a collection of 15 short works for children in the public domain read by a variety of Librivox members.

This book is made of the stories told by the Northern folk,—the people who live in the land of the midnight sun, where summer is green and pleasant, but winter is a terrible time of cold and gloom; where rocky mountains tower like huge giants, over whose heads the thunder rolls and crashes, and under whose feet are mines of precious metals. Therefore you will find the tales full of giants and dwarfs,—spirits of the cold mountains and dark caverns. You will find the hero to be Thor, with his thunderbolt hammer, who dwells in the happy heaven of Asgard, where All-Father Odin is king, and where Balder the beautiful makes springtime with his smile...

Thirty More Famous Stories Retold, the sequel to the popular Fifty Famous Stories Retold, retells the stories of legendary people and mythological figures in simple, easy-to-understand language appropriate for intermediate readers and listeners of all ages. Contained within are the fascinating and thrilling stories from science and myth, from Camelot and Rome, that every child should know. In James Baldwin's introduction he explains that: "Nearly all the stories are true, and there are not more than three or four that might not have happened. In every one there is something worth learning and remembering."

What began as a translation project became a retelling of four classic fairy tales from the Cabinet des Fees, the French collection of over forty volumes. "Certainly the translations, when finished, did not satisfy me, and so I turned back to the beginning and have rewritten the stories in my own way, which (as you may say with the Irish butler) “may not be the best claret, but ’tis the best ye’ve got.” —Preface

Librivox's Children's Short Works Collection 021: a collection of 15 short works for children in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox members.

Mary Grant Bruce was an Australian children's writer who spent one year collecting Aboriginal stories in Gippsland - a part of Victoria which it is thought had a dense population of the early Australians. Sadly, now there are no tribal people living, though their descendants are still around. This book contains 13 stories of the Gunaikurnai people, as told by their elders to the author. From the preface: Year by year the old black tribes are dying out, and many of their legends and beliefs are dying with them...

This is a collection of fairy tales and stories by Hans Christian Andersen, selected and read by students from Hunter College High School. Enjoy! :)

The classic story of Snow White and the seven dwarfs, now in play form! The play was adapted by Jessie Braham White (the pen name of Winthrop Ames), from the Grimm tale.

Perhaps you did not know that fairy tales were ever truths, but they are—the best and oldest of them. That does not mean they are facts like the things you see around you or learn from history books. Facts and truths are as different as the body and the spirit. Facts are like the body that we can see and touch and measure; we cannot see or measure the Spirit, but it is there. No one knows who first told them, nor where nor when. Perhaps none of them was told by any one particular person...

The term ‘Hitopadesha’ is a combination of two Sanskrit terms, ‘Hita’ (welfare/ benefit) and ‘Upadesha’ (counsel). As the term suggests, The Hitopadesha is a collection of tales that gives good counsel. Hitopadesa was presumably written by Narayan Pandit and is an independent treatment of the Vishnu Sarman's Panchatantra (3rd century BC) which it resembles in form. In Hitopadesha, Vishnu Sarman is depicted as a Sage who undertakes to give good counsel to the sons of Sudarsana, the king of Pataliputra, through stories within stories involving talking animals...

The tales of King Arthur and his Knights are of Celtic origin. The Celts were the people who occupied Britain at the time when the history of the country opens… It is believed that King Arthur lived in the sixth century, just after the Romans withdrew from Britain… the stories came to be handed down from father to son, in Brittany (whose people are of the same family as the Welsh) as well as in Wales and England… [story-tellers altered the stories to suit their times down through the centuries] …and so in their altered and historically inaccurate form they have reached us at the present day...

The stories we have read and loved but retold in words of one syllable to make it easier for young readers or those where English is a second language. Some you will know and love, others you may never have heard of but all are worth reading and listening to. Hansel and Grethel, The Wolf and the Six Little Kids; 3 tales about elves; Snow White and Rose Red; King Roughbeard; The Frog Prince; Cinderella; Little Red Cap (little Red Riding Hood) and The Goose Girl are only a few of these delightful tales.

A book about children who find magic in every day life .. and discover that mermen and mermaids actually have a whole underwater kingdom with Kings and Queens and of course Princesses. Of course you probably know these delightful children from their earlier adventures with magic, Bernard, Mavis, Kathleen, and Francis. Just normal children who believe in the fun of imagining and of magic. In this story Francis, who has always loved the idea of the sea but has never actually seen it, is very excited about going to the seashore for holiday...

A collection of some of Hans Christian Andersen's works. He is a Danish author and poet most famous for his fairy tales. Summary by Kristingj.

These Indian fairy tales are chosen from the many stories collected by Mr. Henry R. Schoolcraft, the first man to study how the Indians lived and to discover their legends. He lived among the Indians in the West and around the Great Lakes for thirty years in the first part of the Nineteenth Century and wrote many books about them. When the story-tellers sat at the lodge fires in the long evenings to tell of the manitoes and their magic, of how the little boy snared the sun, of the old Toad Woman who stole the baby, and the other tales that had been retold to generation after generation of red children, time out of mind, Mr...

These are beautiful little stories about Christmas from the Swedish storyteller Selma Lagerlöf. As she explains in the first story, they were told her by her grandmother "I remember that grandmother told story after story from morning till night, and that we children sat beside her, quite still, and listened. It was a glorious life! No other children had such happy times as we did. It isn’t much that I recollect about my grandmother. I remember that she had very beautiful snow-white hair, and stooped when she walked, and that she always sat and knitted a stocking...

In this unofficial sequel to Alice in Wonderland, a different Alice, a young American girl named Alice Lee , stumbles upon a magical door that leads to Wonderland. There, she meets familiar faces, like the Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, Red Queen, among others, as well as some new ones. However, unlike our beloved English Alice who just tries to make sense of a senseless world, Alice Lee maintains power over her own fantasy, rather than let herself become the victim. Though a loving tribute to the original novels, Lewis Carroll absolutely disapproved of this novel, nearly seeking legal action against the British publication of it, but decided against it in favor of his reputation and privacy...

Richard Wilson has taken tales from the two great Indian epics, the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārata, as well as other early sources, and has retold them in English, in an effort to showcase to young English-speaking readers that 'oriental' stories share the same elements as tales they are used to. Love, hate, virtue, oppression, tenderness, bravery and resourcefulness and an ultimate desire to conquer evil. - Summary by Paraphrased from the Introduction

An evil Arabian sorcerer loans a golden flask full of the Great Elixir - a magic liquid that endows a person with pronounced health, strength, and longevity - to a colorblind baker's wife to stop it falling into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, the woman mixes up the Elixir with her rheumatism medicine, which, through even more misunderstanding, then ends up being used in batch of gingerbread. Out of this dough comes John Dough, a six-foot novelty gingerbread man who promptly comes to life and runs away, in an echo of an old nursery rhyme...

Are mermaids real? Well of course they are! Just ask the four very English children who, when on vacation by the sea, find out about one being held in a circus and, since 'they die in captivity' decide on a daring midnight rescue. Is she a real mermaid? Well, help read this book and find out. Oh, and they fight sea monsters, engage in underwater battle and lots of other exciting and magical stuff. They are all mostly brave and helpful. If you like magic and water and peril and heroism, and the writing of E. Nesbit, this is the book for you.

Jane Pentzer Myers's only book was dedicated to Kate Winifred: 'Just between the 'Land o' dreams' and broad daylight is a beautiful world, where good wishes come true: where the poor and lonely are rich in castles and friends: and where sorrowful folk are happy.' These twelve charming tales transport us to that wonderful land of dreams and delight and enchant children of all ages.

Set in the early 1900's, this is a delightful story of a tribe of Teddy Bears arrival in the department store and the adventures some of them have when they are brought into a family's home. - Summary by Linda Andrus

The Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. All stories we of course have heard many times. But these are retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in a unique way that keeps the flavor of the original French of Perrault but adds a delightful easy of reading and speaking them. - Summary by Phil chenevert.

Children's Short Works Collection 023: a collection of 16 short works for children in the public domain read by a variety of members. - Summary by Ruth Golding

What better thing can I say about this book except that it is written by Evelyn Sharp the author who writes fairy stories with a flowing and beautiful style. These eight stories are different in that they are a bit longer than usual fairy stories, taking time to explore motivation, mood and plot; the characters seem to be real people not just two dimensional elements put there to round out the story. - Summary by Phil chenevert

Eric, artist for the king, has created a marvelous painting of a royal wedding. It is finished except for the face of the queen, which appeared to him in a dream. When he awoke, he had forgotten the form of the features. Obsessed with recapturing this vision, he goes on a quest to find the woman because he cannot paint another stroke until he sees those eyes again. During his journey, he discovers much more, perhaps even the true meaning of his dream and of his life. - Summary by Amy Gramour

Here are five of the most loved Fairy Tales retold in verse by the English humourist and writer, Tom Hood . The tales are; The Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Cinderella and Hop o' my Thumb. Summary by Noel Badrian.

This is a volume of eleven beautiful and original little fairy tales. - Summary by Carolin

Children's Short Works Collection 024: a collection of 15 short works for children in the public domain read by a variety of members.

This is a collection of fairy tales, retold by Sabine Baring-Gould. The collection contains such well-known stories as Cinderella and the Beauty and the Beast, but also tales which are now not as widely known, such as the Yellow Dwarf and the White Cat. - Summary by Carolin

We all know that Santa Claus has a large family in which to help him in the delivery of presents, peace, and good cheer. So what would you do if you were Miss Santa Claus and met two children on Christmas Eve traveling to a strange town to be reunited with their father and new stepmother? Why, naturally you would tell them the story of Princess Ina and a powerful charm they could use to turn their feared stepmother into a real mother. Follow the children as they learn to pick starflowers of obedience and kindness to make a mantle of love and become a real family.

This is a collection of fairy tales by Rev. David Bearne. The stories take place in the "Bright Ages" as opposed to the more common epithet "dark ages", where heroes saved the world, saints performed miracles, and also anything else was possible. Most of those stories are based on half-forgotten legends and footnotes to the history of England, charmingly retold by Mr. Bearne. - Summary by Carolin

This book contains many of Shakespeare's most famous plays, retold for children. - Summary by kathrinee

In this volume, Ms. Cowles has collected her favourite fairy tales and retold them for children. All of the most famous authors are represented, such as Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. But instead of retelling all the standard tales, Ms. Cowles has chosen fairy tales that are not quite as famous, but contain an important message. - Summary by Carolin

Wild animals play a big role in many fairy tales, and foxes are some of the best-represented animals in folklore. In this volume, Clifton Johnson has collected stories about foxes from all over the world, adapted for children as bedtime fairy tales. - Summary by Carolin

"Once upon a time a king had an extreme passion for silkworms..." So begins one story in this unusual collection. Here you may also find a farm girl cursed by becoming a queen, a prince blessed with having his every wish denied, a princess turned into a monkey at birth, three sisters who disguise themselves as knights to seek their fortunes, a princess cursed to bring death to her brothers, and a princess only able to marry the man who can step on her cat's tail!This collection of European fairy tales includes many lesser known stories such as the original "Goody Two Shoes" and "The Beneficent Frog"...

This is a 1910 edition of the Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen. This volume is nicely mixed, containing both the most famous tales as well as some which are not quite as well-known. The translation is adapted for American readership and in some ways brings a new facet to some of the stories. Listeners may want to have a look at the online text for its beautiful colour illustrations. - Summary by Carolin

This is a volume of fairy tales and folk tales from the Cossack people, compiled and translated by Robert Nisbet Bain. The tales are special as most children will not have heard them a hundred times before, and as they take listeners into a different region of the realm of the fairy tale. The Cossacks are a group of people living mostly in what is now Ukraine and Russia. The fairy and folk tales contained in this volume allow a glimpse into both the cultural traditions of the Cossack people, as well as into how this culture was perceived by others. - Summary by Carolin

Seven original fairy tales . . . "Now for the stories you promised us." "Well, how many shall there be?" "O, seven, one for each." And here are our seven stories; affectionately dedicated to any little curly heads that like to read them.