There is not a dragon in the collection, nor even a giant; witches, here, play no part, and almost all the characters are grown up. On the other hand, if we have no fairies, we have princes in plenty, and a sweeter young prince than Tearlach (as far as this part of his story goes) the editor flatters himself that you shall nowhere find, not in Grimm, or Dasent, or Perrault. Still, it cannot be denied that true stories are not so good as fairy tales. They do not always end happily, and, what is worse, they do remind a young student of lessons and schoolrooms... There is, to be honest, no way of getting over this difficulty. But the editor vows that he does not mean to teach anybody, and he has tried to mix the stories up so much that no clear and consecutive view of history can possibly be obtained from them; moreover, when history does come in, it is not the kind of history favoured most by examiners. They seldom set questions on the conquest of Mexico, for example.

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused, 19 of whom were found guilty and executed by hanging (14 women and 5 men). One other man, Giles Corey, was crushed to death for refusing to plead, and at least five people died in jail. It was the deadliest witch hunt in the history of colonial North America. This collection contains works that concern this infamous witch hunt and trials: The Wonders of the Invisible World by Cotton Mather and Increase Mather Salem Witchcraft by Charles Wentworth Upham Salem Witchcraft and Cotton Mather by Charles Wentworth Upham A Short History of the Salem Village Witchcraft Trials by M. V. B. Perley An Account of the Witchcraft Delusion at Salem in 1682 by James Thacher House of John Procter, Witchcraft Martyr, 1692 by William P. Upham The Salem Witchcraft by Samuel Roberts Wells

The Red True Story Book is the seventh in the series of Fairy Books by Andrew Lang. Contains 30 true stories, mainly drawn from European history. Includes: The Life and Death of Joan the Maid; The Crowning of Ines de Castro; The Story of Orthon; Sir Richard Grenville; The Story of Molly Pitcher; The Story of Emund; The Piteous Death of Gaston, Son of the Count of Foix; and many more.

The anthology 'The True Story vs. Myth of Witchcraft' offers a profound exploration into the intricate tapestry of historical truth and folklore surrounding witchcraft. Through a diverse collection of narratives ranging from scholarly essays to personal accounts, the volume traverses the broad spectrum of literary styles, presenting the subject matter from various angles. This carefully curated selection not only uncovers the historical realities of witchcraft accusations and trials but also delves into the mythologized versions of these events, standing out as a testament to the multifaceted nature of human belief and fear across cultures and epochs. The contributors, an illustrious ensemble of authors including Bram Stoker, Charles Mackay, and more, bring a wealth of perspectives to the anthology. Their backgrounds as pioneers of literature, history, and science lend the collection an authoritative voice that is both enlightening and engrossing. Hailing from different centuries and cultural contexts, these authors collectively span a wide array of literary movements, from Romanticism to Realism, offering insights into the evolution of societal attitudes towards witchcraft. This thematic diversity enriches the reader's comprehension of witchcraft's complex legacy. 'The True Story vs. Myth of Witchcraft' is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to dissect the layers of history and folklore that have shaped our understanding of witchcraft. It promises a rich, educational experience, inviting readers to engage with a historical dialogue that is as nuanced as it is fascinating. This anthology not only serves as an academic tool but also as a nexus of narratives that challenge, entertain, and inspire curiosity about the darker corners of humanity's past.

Herein are 63 illustrated true stories about animals which every child will enjoy! In this book you will find stories about bears, otters, eagles, horses, dogs, dolphins, ants, frogs, elephants, parrots, snakes, lions, Cayman, weasels and many, many more besides. "The Animal Story Book" will delight both old and young, as one may find therein pen-portraits of most of the remarkable animals that have interested the world since primitive times. Herein are stories like: Saï The Panther The Buzzard And The Priest A Rat’s Tale The Dog Of Montargis The Taming of an Otter The Adventures Of Pyramus The Dancing Dog Monkey Stories The War Horse Of Alexander Madame Théophile And The Parrot plus many, many more. The 66 pen and ink illustrations by H J Ford give added life to the stories. Unlike his fairy collections, these tales compiled by Andrew Lang are all "true" with some species descriptions coming from nature journals of the time and others being more personal memoir/anecdote type stories of individual's pets. Not as well known today, was that the author Alexandre Dumas maintained a veritable menagerie, as did the artist Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps, and Andrew Lang has featured many stories about the various animals in their menageries. But, if anyone believes that style does not appeal to the young readers, let him open this book and read to any intelligent child of nine years Dumas’ description of Mysouf the cat, and Pritchard the dog. ============= KEYWORDS/TAGS: Children’s stories, Childrens, Folklore, Fairy, Folk, Tales, bedtime story, legends, storyteller, fables, moral tales, myths, happiness, laughter, Animal, story book, Andrew Lang, H J Ford, H. J. Ford, Illustrated, illustrations, Tom, adventure, bear, paris, Saï, panther, buzzard, priest, Cowper, hares, rat’s tale. Tail, Snake, elephant, dog, montargis, beaver, build a house, war horse, Alexander, ants, taming, otter, Androcles, lion, Monsieur, Alexander Dumas, beasts, Pyramus, weasel, wolves, highland dogs, sally, zoo, cayman, fido, siege, Mr. Gully, pliny, history of cagnotte, Still waters, deep; dancing dog, Theo, horses: jane, betsy, blanche, Madame théophile, parrot, battle of the mullets, dolphins, Monkey, ship, desert, home, rather be, Nests, Fire-eating, djijam, Oscar, Dolphin, play, starling, segringen, Grateful, Gazelle, tortoise, Cockatoo, otter, cat, Builders, weavers, faithful, favour, turtles, cod, Bungey, jacko, Signora, lori, linnet, popinjay, Patch, chickens, fierce, falcon scotch, scots, terrier, raven, funeral, strange, tiger, Halcyons, biographer, frog, woodpecker, tapping, hollow, oak tree, water, capocier, mate, Owls, marmots, Eagle, nest

The following story is true. This book is about my novel, The Lessons. Strictly speaking, it is not a novel at all, but something far more sinister. The dictionary lacks a word for what The Lessons actually is. At the age of nineteen, I made the momentous decision to pen this novel – on April 24 1985, to be precise. I know this because I kept a diary between 1977 and 1988. As soon as I began, an illness cut me down for a week. I thought nothing of it, determined I was going to begin this novel as soon as I felt better. Little did I realise how this novel would affect my life. I kept it secret from family and friends. I feverishly read books on how-to write novels, sitting in my flat for hours, eking out a few sentences. During episodes, I would lose weight and become ill. My novel appeared to have no bearing upon my life at all. A psychopath operates in a creepy old house called the Hollows and heads a criminal ring. I was living in a sleepy village with my parents and siblings. I partook in kiddie stuff like babysitting, toy-making, Sunday school teaching and art. During my writing, I connected with this ‘strand’. This strand grew addictive. It ran deep, powerful, compulsive, shameful, deathly, depressing, creepy and devastating. Little did I realize the source of this strand. Illustrations and excerpts from my diaries are included.

'A wonderful literary trompe l'oeil: a book about friendship, writing and the boundary between reality and fantasy ... Dark, smart, strange, compelling' Harriet Lane, bestselling author of Her Overwhelmed by the huge success of her latest novel, exhausted and suffering from a crippling inability to write, Delphine meets L. L. embodies everything Delphine admires; sophisticated and unusually intuitive, she slowly but deliberately carves herself a niche in the writer's life. However, as she makes herself indispensable to Delphine, the intensity of this unexpected friendship manifests itself in increasingly sinister ways. And as their lives become further entwined, L. begins to threaten Delphine's identity and her safety.

The legacy of a master of horror lives on in this fully authorized biography James Herbert was an enduringly popular author whose books sell in the hundreds of thousands across the world and are made into films. He broke away from the cut-and-thrust populist horror novels of the 1970s and 1980s to create more thought-provoking works, featuring the scientific reasoning behind the manifestations of the ghosts and spirits in which he truly believed. Yet despite his worldwide fan base, surprisingly little is known about the man himself. Before his recent death, James Herbert granted his friend and confidant Craig Cabell more than a dozen exclusive candid interviews. The result is an incredibly frank and revealing portrait of one of the giants of contemporary popular fiction, shedding light on his personal demons that drove the boy from London's East End to become the preeminent horror writer of his generation. Cabell shares personal correspondence and reminiscences, including one of Herbert's previously unpublished pieces, entitled To Ye All. In addition to this, James granted the author full access to his photographic archives, making this a title that no James Herbert fan can be without.

Treasure Island is an adventure classic written by Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "buccaneers and buried gold". Its influence is enormous on our own perception of pirates, including treasure maps marked with an "X", schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders. Stevenson stated "Treasure Island came out of the great Captain Johnson's History of the Notorious Pirates.", which is included in this edition in its entirety with all the incredible life stories of the notorious world famous pirates that inspired Stevenson and are also mentioned in the novel.