Hawthorne’s retelling of these tales may not be my favorite version. These adventures also feature a giant clockwork man, a couple of fire-breathing bulls, winged menaces, humans transformed into beasts, and an army of Lilliputian warriors who send one of the greatest heroes in retreat. “The Golden Fleece”-in which Jason leads a pre-League of Justice force of fifty Greek heroes against a series of dangerous creatures.“The Pomegranate Seed”-in which the grain goddess’s daughter is taken captive by the lord of the underworld and.Ulysses, saves his ship’s crew from a wily enchantress “Circe’s Palace”-in which Odysseus, a.k.a.“The Dragon’s Teeth”-in which Cadmus slays a dragon, sows its teeth in the ground, and grows a crop of warriors to found the city of Thebes.“The Pygmies”-in which Hercules grapples with a giant whose strength doubles every time he touches the ground.“The Minotaur”-in which Theseus tests his strength against a man-eating beast with the head of a bull and the body of a man.These stories, then, are further examples of how Eustace would tell such swashbuckling legends as… A preface to this book informs us that Eustace is still interested in adapting tales of the ancient heroes to the sensibilities of the children of his time. One thing you will appreciate about this book, if you come to it after reading Hawthorne’s Wonder-Book, is that he dispenses with the precious little introductions to each story featuring college-boy Eustace Bright and his brood of smaller siblings and cousins. And even though kids’ tastes may change, there still remains a good deal of charm and appeal in Hawthorne’s retellings of the world’s most timeless tales. His writing really is enjoyable, and some of it was designed for the enjoyment of kids. Nathaniel Hawthorne is too important a figure in American literature to be allowed to remain only a figure, silhouetted against the dying light of a bygone age. Here some writers would say, “So goes the world,” and let it be. These facts illustrate the love in which this book was once popularly held, and the influence of some of the people who loved it so.Īnd yet I would bet you’re hearing about this book for the first time now. Houston, Texas, has a neighborhood named after this book, and the state of Washington has an island ditto. And the cottage, according to my sources, was named after this book-a sequel to the same author’s A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys.

The mansion was named after the nearby cottage where Nathaniel Hawthorne stayed while writing this book. This festival is named after the mansion where the festival is held. You may have heard of the Tanglewood Music Festival in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. Tanglewood Tales- buy the paperback- free Kindle book

Tanglewood tales first edition