The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by
Steinbeck's only work of fantasy literature--in a deluxe edition with a foreword by Christopher Paolini, New York Times bestselling author of Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr A Penguin Classic Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur was the first book that John Steinbeck truly enjoyed reading as a child. Fascinated by Arthurian tales of adventure, knighthood, honor and friendship, in addition to the challenging nuances of the original Anglo-Saxon language, Steinbeck set out to render these stories faithfully and with keen animation for a modern audience. Here then is Steinbeck's modernization of the adventure of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, featuring the icons of Arthurian legend--including King Arthur, Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the incomparable Queen Guinevere, and Arthur's purest knight, Sir Lancelot of the Lake. These enduring tales of loyalty and betrayal in the time of Camelot flicker with the wonder and magic of an era past but not forgotten. Steinbeck's retelling will capture the attention and imagination of legions of Steinbeck fans, including those who love Arthurian romances, as well as countless readers of science fiction and fantasy literature. This edition features a new foreword by Christopher Paolini, author of the number-one New York Times bestselling novels Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr. It also includes the letters John Steinbeck wrote to his literary agent, Elizabeth Otis, and to Chase Horton, the original editor of this volume. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Beowulf (DVD)
Cinderella (DVD)
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by
The acclaimed national and international bestseller "Epic, romantic, and enthralling from start to finish."--Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series "An all-consuming work of literary fantasy that is breathtaking both for its beauty and its suspense."--BookPage, starred review A captivating and romantic debut epic fantasy inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang'e, in which a young woman's quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm. Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin's magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind. Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor's son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince. To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream--striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos. Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic, of loss and sacrifice--where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.
Disney's Maleficent (DVD)
Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm by
#1 New York Times bestseller Philip Pullman retells the world's best-loved fairy tales on their 200th anniversary Two centuries ago, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Children's and Household Tales. Now Philip Pullman, one of the most accomplished authors of our time, makes us fall in love all over again with the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm. Pullman retells his fifty favorites, from much-loved stories like "Cinderella" and "Rumpelstiltskin," "Rapunzel" and "Hansel and Gretel" to lesser-known treasures like "The Three Snake Leaves," "Godfather Death" and "The Girl with No Hands." At the end of each tale he offers a brief personal commentary, opening a window on the sources of the tales, the various forms they've taken over the centuries and their everlasting appeal. Suffused with romance and villainy, danger and wit, the Grimms' fairy tales have inspired Pullman's unique creative vision--and his beguiling retellings will draw you back into a world that has long cast a spell on the Western imagination.
The United States of Cryptids by
Meet the monsters in our midst, from bigfoot to Mothman and beyond! Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures and investigates the ways in which communities embrace and celebrate their local cryptids. Readers will learn about- . Batsquatch of Washington, a winged bigfoot that is said to have emerged from the eruption of Mount Saint Helens . Nain Rouge of Michigan, a fierce red goblin that has been spotted before every major city disaster in Detroit . Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia, a robotic extraterrestrial that crash-landed in rural Appalachia . Lizard Man of South Carolina, a reptilian mutant that attacked a teenager in the summer of 1988 . Glocester Ghoul of Rhode Island, a fire-breathing dragon that guards a hoard of pirate treasure . And many more! Whether you believe in bigfoot or not, this fully illustrated compendium is a fun, frightening, fascinating tour through American folklore and history, exploring the stories we tell about monsters and what those stories say about us.
The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by
A fascinating, beautifully illustrated guide to the monsters that are part of our collective psyche, featuring stories from the Lore podcast--now a streaming television series--including "They Made a Tonic," "Passed Notes," and "Unboxed," as well as rare material. They live in shadows--deep in the forest, late in the night, in the dark recesses of our minds. They're spoken of in stories and superstitions, relics of an unenlightened age, old wives' tales, passed down through generations. Yet no matter how wary and jaded we have become, as individuals or as a society, a part of us remains vulnerable to them: werewolves and wendigos, poltergeists and vampires, angry elves and vengeful spirits. In this beautifully illustrated volume, the host of the hit podcast Lore serves as a guide on a fascinating journey through the history of these terrifying creatures, exploring not only the legends but what they tell us about ourselves. Aaron Mahnke invites us to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where the notorious winged, red-eyed Jersey Devil dwells. He delves into harrowing accounts of cannibalism--some officially documented, others the stuff of speculation . . . perhaps. He visits the dimly lit rooms where séances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, even Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert. In a world of "emotional vampires" and "zombie malls," the monsters of folklore have become both a part of our language and a part of our collective psyche. Whether these beasts and bogeymen are real or just a reflection of our primal fears, we know, on some level, that not every mystery has been explained and that the unknown still holds the power to strike fear deep in our hearts and souls. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore. The World of Lore series includes: MONSTROUS CREATURES * WICKED MORTALS * DREADFUL PLACES
The Annotated African American Folktales by
Drawing from the great folklorists of the past while expanding African American lore with dozens of tales rarely seen before, The Annotated African American Folktales revolutionizes the canon like no other volume. Following in the tradition of such classics as Arthur Huff Fauset's "Negro Folk Tales from the South" (1927), Zora Neale Hurston's Mules and Men (1935), and Virginia Hamilton's The People Could Fly (1985), acclaimed scholars Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Maria Tatar assemble a groundbreaking collection of folktales, myths, and legends that revitalizes a vibrant African American past to produce the most comprehensive and ambitious collection of African American folktales ever published in American literary history. Arguing for the value of these deceptively simple stories as part of a sophisticated, complex, and heterogeneous cultural heritage, Gates and Tatar show how these remarkable stories deserve a place alongside the classic works of African American literature, and American literature more broadly. Opening with two introductory essays and twenty seminal African tales as historical background, Gates and Tatar present nearly 150 African American stories, among them familiar Brer Rabbit classics, but also stories like "The Talking Skull" and "Witches Who Ride," as well as out-of-print tales from the 1890s' Southern Workman. Beginning with the figure of Anansi, the African trickster, master of improvisation--a spider who plots and weaves in scandalous ways--The Annotated African American Folktales then goes on to draw Caribbean and Creole tales into the orbit of the folkloric canon. It retrieves stories not seen since the Harlem Renaissance and brings back archival tales of "Negro folklore" that Booker T. Washington proclaimed had emanated from a "grapevine" that existed even before the American Revolution, stories brought over by slaves who had survived the Middle Passage. Furthermore, Gates and Tatar's volume not only defines a new canon but reveals how these folktales were hijacked and misappropriated in previous incarnations, egregiously by Joel Chandler Harris, a Southern newspaperman, as well as by Walt Disney, who cannibalized and capitalized on Harris's volumes by creating cartoon characters drawn from this African American lore. Presenting these tales with illuminating annotations and hundreds of revelatory illustrations, The Annotated African American Folktales reminds us that stories not only move, entertain, and instruct but, more fundamentally, inspire and keep hope alive. The Annotated African American Folktales includes: Introductory essays, nearly 150 African American stories, and 20 seminal African tales as historical background The familiar Brer Rabbit classics, as well as news-making vernacular tales from the 1890s' Southern Workman An entire section of Caribbean and Latin American folktales that finally become incorporated into the canon Approximately 200 full-color, museum-quality images
Black Panther Vol. 1: a Nation under Our Feet by
A new era for the Black Panther begins as the kingdom of Wakanda enters its final days! Award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates confronts T'Challa with dramatic upheaval in his homeland that will make leading the African nation tougher than ever before. When a superhuman terrorist group that calls itself The People sparks a violent uprising, the land famed for incredible technology and proud warrior traditions will be thrown into turmoil. As Zenzi, leader of The People, poisons the populace against their king, the former queen Shuri's spirit makes an uncanny journey through the Djalia, and a new Crew is formed! If Wakanda is to survive, it must adapt - but can its monarch, one of a long line of Black Panthers, survive the necessary change? Heavy lies the head that wears the cowl! COLLECTING: BLACK PANTHER 1-12
Fairy Tale by
A #1 New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice! Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher--for that world or ours. Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a horrific accident when he was seven, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself--and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from it. Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world. King's storytelling in Fairy Tale soars. This is a magnificent and terrifying tale in which good is pitted against overwhelming evil, and a heroic boy--and his dog--must lead the battle. Early in the Pandemic, King asked himself: "What could you write that would make you happy?" "As if my imagination had been waiting for the question to be asked, I saw a vast deserted city--deserted but alive. I saw the empty streets, the haunted buildings, a gargoyle head lying overturned in the street. I saw smashed statues (of what I didn't know, but I eventually found out). I saw a huge, sprawling palace with glass towers so high their tips pierced the clouds. Those images released the story I wanted to tell."
From Folklore to Fiction by
For Thomas,`folklore' is an all-encompassing term that incorporates the sum total of the rituals, practices, and behavior of the black community. . . . Although some readers will quarrel with the elasticity of Thomas's theoretical framework, this study nevertheless offers a useful overview of the various ways in which Afro-American writers have drawn upon a common cultural heritage. Choice This study focuses on the transposition of Afro-American folk heroes and rituals from folklore to literature. Thomas shows how black American novelists perceive the heroes and rituals of their community, and the challenge these writers face in making oral forms serve the needs of their writing. The evolution of folklore in black fiction is clearly demonstrated. Works of writers from Charles Chesnutt and Paul Dunbar to recent ones such as Paule Marshall and Toni Morrison are analyzed to reveal both the writers' ability to convert folklore into fiction and to dramatize the ontological value of the lore to Afro-American society. From Folklore to Fiction joins in the ever enlarging dialectic for studying and understanding the black American reality. The introduction to this book presents a review of scholarship on Afro-American folklore and fiction. The origins and functions of Afro-American folk forms are covered next. Major folk heroes are introduced, including the John Henry and black Moses, defiant heroes, and the trickster. The techniques and reasons for incorporating Afro-American rituals are the folk sermon, singing of spirituals, and ecstasy of the black church, the blues, the dozens, and jive.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (DVD)
Southern Ghost Stories: Ghosts of Gallatin by
As the most haunted city in Tennessee, Gallatin's history is filled with fires, executions, cholera outbreaks and other terrible misfortunes . Beneath the town square and stately antebellum mansions lies a complicated history of the paranormal and mysterious. From the dastardly General Eleazer Paine, who killed Confederate soldiers and sympathizers, to deadly fires that reduced buildings on the square to a smoldering rubble, Gallatin is filled with countless spirits. Some of the ghosts in these stories are friendly, while others are quite mischievous. With each ghostly tale, Southern Ghost Stories: Ghosts of Gallatin invites you to explore the town square to see what you might find.
Too Good to Be True by
A fabulously entertaining book from the ultimate authority on those almost believable tales that always happen to a "friend of a friend." Alligators in the sewers? A pet in the microwave? A tragic misunderstanding of the function of cruise control? No, it didn't really happen to your friend's sister's neighbor: it's an urban legend. And no matter how savvy you think you are, you are sure to find in this collection of over 200 tales at least one story you would have sworn was true.
Voices of the Winds by
Learn about the rich history of North America through the legends and tales of those who inhabited the land first in Voices of the Winds. This wonderfully appealing anthology gathers more than 130 Native American legends, many told to the authors by elder storytellers and tribal historians. The legends feature a broad array of mythical figures, such as Thunderbird, Coyote, and Raven, as well as human-like characters "The Girl Who Married the Moon" and "Two Brothers Who Became Stars." Organized by region--with tales from the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Southeast, and Northeast--the legends are drawn from many tribes, including the Wasco, Aleut, Apache, Yosemite, Cheyenne, Sioux, Hopi, Navajo, Chippewa, Cherokee and others, and are introduced by an informative headnote, accompanied by a variety of evocative line-art drawings. The stories include: The Bridge of the Gods, Wasco Raven's Great Adventure, Alaska Song of the Horses, Navaho Origin of Fire, Jicarilla-Apache The Corn Ceremony, Hidatsa The Great Serpent and the Great Flood, Chippewa-Ojibwa The Origin of Earth, Tuskegee The Legend of the Bear Family, Penobscot The Origin of the Iroquois Nations, Iroquois Get to know the first peoples of North America through these stories from their rich oral traditions.