Jeanie Lang

Just as a little child holds out its hands to catch the sunbeams, to feel and to grasp what, so its eyes tell it, is actually there, so, down through the ages, men have stretched out their hands in eager endeavour to know their God. And because only through the human was the divine knowable, the old peoples of the earth made gods of their heroes and not unfrequently endowed these gods with as many of the vices as of the virtues of their worshippers. As we read the myths of the East and the West we find ever the same story. That portion of the ancient Aryan race which poured from the central plain of Asia, through the rocky defiles of what we now call “The Frontier,” to populate the fertile lowlands of India, had gods who must once have been wholly heroic, but who came in time to be more degraded than the most vicious of lustful criminals. And the Greeks, Latins, Teutons, Celts, and Slavonians, who came of the same mighty Aryan stock, did even as those with whom they owned a common ancestry. Originally they gave to their gods of their best. All that was noblest in them, all that was strongest and most selfless, all the higher instincts of their natures were their endowment. And although their worship in time became corrupt and lost its beauty, there yet remains for us, in the old tales of the gods, a wonderful humanity that strikes a vibrant chord in the hearts of those who are the descendants of their worshippers. For though creeds and forms may change, human nature never changes.

A Book of Myths

A masterful retelling of the story of the siege of Troy, as contained in The Iliad. Written especially for younger readers, this book provides a perfect introduction to the storyline contained in the classic work, starting from the events which led to the ten-year siege of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, and ending with the death of Hector after the climactic final battle which featured the hero warrior Achilles.The reader will meet the famous characters Paris, Helen, Hector, Ajax, and many others, all of whom have passed into the realms of European folklore, even though the events of The Iliad occurred over 2,500 years ago.Along with The Odyssey, The Iliad is among the oldest existing works of Western literature, with the earliest written version dating to around the eighth century BC.It is a vital work for anyone seeking a well-rounded classical education.This version has been completely reset and hand-edited and contains the original illustrations by W. Heath Robinson.ContentsChapter I: The Story of What Led to the Siege of TroyChapter II: How Achilles and Agamemnon Fell OutChapter III: The CouncilChapter IV: The Fight between Paris and MenelausChapter V: How Menelaus Was Wounded; and the Brave Deeds of DiomedesChapter VI: Hector and AndromacheChapter VII: The Fight between Hector and AjaxChapter VIII: The Burning of the Dead; and the Battle of the PlainChapter IX: The Message to AchillesChapter X: The White Horses of RhesusChapter XI: The Fighting on the PlainChapter XII: How Patroclus Fought and DiedChapter XIII: The Rousing of Achilles

Told to the Children

Stories from the Iliad Or, the Siege of Troy

John Lang

Stories of the Border Marches

Stories from Shakespeare

Edmund Spenser

More than three hundred years ago there lived in England a poet named Edmund Spenser. He was brave and true and gentle, and he loved all that was beautiful and good. Edmund Spenser wrote many poems, and the most beautiful of all is the one called 'The Faerie Queen.' He loved so dearly all things that are beautiful and all things that are good, that his eyes could see Fairyland more clearly than the eyes of other men ever could. There are many, many stories in 'The Faerie Queen, ' and out of them all I have told you only eight. Some day you will read the others for yourself. In this little book Miss Rose Le Quesne has made one pretty picture for each story. But when you are old enough to read for yourself 'The Faerie Queen' that Edmund Spenser wrote, you will find that there is a picture on every page. It is a pleasure to publish this new, high quality, and affordable edition of these timeless stories

Jeanie Lang

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