Here is a treasury of favorite and little known tales from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Oceania, gracefully retold and accompanied by fascinating, detailed information of their historic and cultural backgrounds. The introduction provides an informative overview of folklore, its purpose in world cultures and in contemporary society and popular culture. Following this, the main sections of the book are arranged by tale type, covering wonder tales, hero tales, tales of kindness repaid and hope and redemption, and finally tales of fools and wise people. Each section begins by comparing the tales cross-culturally, explaining similarities and differences in the folkloric narratives. Tales from diverse cultures are then presented, introduced, and retold in a highly readable fashion.

A treasury of favorite and little-known tales from around the globe--from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Oceania. It is an engaging, informative, and captivating one-stop source for the world's folklore and tales.

Here is a treasury of favorite and little known tales from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Oceania, gracefully retold and accompanied by fascinating, detailed information of their historic and cultural backgrounds. The introduction provides an informative overview of folklore, its purpose in world cultures and in contemporary society and popular culture. Following this, the main sections of the book are arranged by tale type, covering wonder tales, hero tales, tales of kindness repaid and hope and redemption, and finally tales of fools and wise people. Each section begins by comparing the tales cross-culturally, explaining similarities and differences in the folkloric narratives. Tales from diverse cultures are then presented, introduced, and retold in a highly readable fashion.

This comprehensive collection of folk hero tales builds on the success of the first edition by providing readers with expanded contextual information on story characters from the Americas to Zanzibar. Despite the tremendous differences between cultures and ethnicities across the world, all of them have folk heroes and heroines—real and imagined—that have been represented in tales, legends, songs, and verse. These stories persist through time and space, over generations, even through migrations to new countries and languages. This encyclopedia is a one-stop source for broad coverage of the world's folk hero tales. Geared toward high school and early college readers, the book opens with an overview of folk heroes and heroines that provides invaluable context and then presents a chronology. The book is divided into two main sections: the first provides entries on the major types and themes; the second addresses specific folk tale characters organized by continent with folk hero entries organized alphabetically. Each entry provides cross references as well as a list of further readings. Continent sections include a bibliography for additional research. The book concludes with an alphabetical list of heroes and an index of hero types.

A collection of folktales from many cultures told in a combination of poetry, prose, original melody, and guitar.

Have you heard of Anansi, the mischief-making spider from Africa? Do you know about the Blackfoot woman who married a star? Or have you heard stories about Jack, the hero who always wins both the treasure and the princess's heart? Discover stories from North America's folklore, including tales about: * why the world is the way it is * heroes and fools * ghosts and horrors * death and the world to come. Stories have power. They share the wisdom of other generations. They stir our imagination. They give us hope and courage. And sometimes they just make us laugh!

Includes twenty-seven folktales from Europe, Asia, Africa, India, the Arctic, and the Americas.

Before schooling was widely available in the classroom, there was the fireside, the field or the country lane.Many folk tales exist to convey 'wisdom': lessons from life, in an entertaining way. Aesop's Fables are well-known and many wonderful Oriental tales are in this category. British wisdom tales are no less engaging yet almost unknown. These tales are not the pontifications of ancient philosophers; they are the learning of countless storytellers, educated in the school of hard knocks and graduates of the university of life. The tales reflect the times and places of their origin, but they have been handed down from generation to generation, evolving to meet changing times. Often the tales are amusing, some are thought-provoking. Now they have been polished and honed for so long that their message slips, almost imperceptibly, into the mind. We owe it to the bards of old to retell these stories for new generations.

[1] Propaedia: outline of knowledge and guide to the Britannica.--[2]-[11] Micropaedia: ready reference and index.--[12]-[30] Macropaedia: knowledge in depth.

Spine title: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Includes bibliographies. Propaedia: outline of knowledge and guide to the Britannica. 1 v.--Micropaedia: ready reference and index. 10 v.--Macropaedia: knowledge in depth. 19 v. Accompanied by supplement (2 v.) issued in 1994 uder the title: The Encyclopaedia Britannica supplement.