Celtic Fairy Tales - A Victorian Children's Classic

CELTIC FOLKLORE overflows with vivid stories that fire the imagination. This book was compiled, longhand, in the field, by Joseph Jacobs in the 1890's. While these stories were originally published in the 19th. C. they probably date back to the middle ages or even further into the mists of time, back to the dawn of the Celtic race. After being passed orally from grandparents to parents to children before being recorded in the vernacular by Joseph Jacobs, one can only wonder how many evolutions and changes the stories have gone through before being cemented into print.

While some of the themes are similar to those of contemporary fairy tales, other stories in this collection are infused with a flavour that is uniquely Celtic. In Jacobs' own words,"The Celts went forth to battle, but they always fell. Yet the captive Celt has enslaved his captor in the realm of imagination." Here you will find 26 uniquely Celtic tales of horned women, breweries of eggshells, sprightly tailors, gold and silver trees, King o' Toole's goose, sea maidens, and more. Of particular interest could be the 13th century legend of Beth Gellert, wherein the dog of Llewelyn (I) the Great, Prince of Wales, protected the prince's infant son from a wolf attack. When Llewelyn arrived at the house he saw the bloodied dog and an equally bloody cot and assumed the worst and killed the dog. It was only after he slew the dog he found his son alive, under a mattress with a dead wolf alongside him. So wrought with grief was he, that he erected a memorial to the dog which still stands today in the village of Beddgelert, near Snowdon, Wales. Next time you're in Wales, be sure to pay it a visit.

In an attempt to give a library of the Celts' wealthy imagination to his readers, Jacobs has attempted to begin the readers' captivity with the earliest recordings of these tales. And captivate he does - Celtic Fairy Tales not only preserves a cultural history, but also is richly entertaining. In addition some, nay, indeed most of these stories, will not have been read nor heard by most children of today, and dare I say their parents as well. As such it will, and does, make for an interesting and captivating read. Even though the content of this book is centuries old, after reading, it will only be the dullest imagination that hasl not be ignited and set aflame.

For more info, a table of contents or to view a sample of the interior go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/Celtic.html

33% of the Publisher's profit from the sale of this book will be donated to the Prince's Trust charity.

John Halsted is CEO of Abela Publishing and an out-and-out fan of fairytales.

He founded Abela Publishing as a Social Enterprise and specialises in publishing new and old Children's stories, fairytales, folklore, myths and legends.33% of Abela Publishing's profit is donated to charities around the world. To see which charities are currently supported, go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/charity.html

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Forty-Four Turkish Fairy Tales - A Children's Literary Classic Given a New Lease of Life

Dr. Ignas Kunos' 1913 classic "Forty-Four Turkish Fairy Tales" has been re-released in hardcover with a colour interior giving a new lease of life to this classic of children's literature. This volume is a treasure chest of classic Eastern tales drawing on the rich folklore of Turkey. Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales has not been in print for almost 100 years, mainly because the original edition had lavish production standards.

This volume is appropriately titled Fairy Tales because something definitely 'fairy' occurs. There are talking animals, flying horses, birds that magically change into beautiful maidens, quests to win the hand of a princess, magical objects, simple, yet brave, peasants, wizards, witches, dragons and dungeons, epic journeys, and lovable fools. The majority of these stories contain encounters with 'Dews', or Turkish supernatural beings, better known in the West as 'Genies.' Sometimes the Turkish Dews are also called 'Arabs!'

With almost 200 exquisite illustrations by the late Willy Pogany, this volume will enable a whole generation of today's children to become reacquainted with fairy tales and imagery of the Orient. There are many other specifically Turkish elements and references in the stories, for which the glossary at the end of the book is of particular help. So this isn't simply an orientalised set of European Tales, but was drawn from an authentic Turkish oral storytelling tradition by Dr. Ignacz Kunos.

Note: some of the illustrations may be considered unsuitable by 21st Century standards because they can be considered as caricatures with obvious ethnic stereotypes. However, in most cases, the illustrator is portraying imaginary creatures, which are supposed to be grotesque. Also to be remembered is the book was originally produced in 1913 when the world's attitudes towards racial tolerance and acceptance were quite different to those of today.

Fore more information, a table of contents and a cover image go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/FortyFourTales.html

John Halsted is CEO of Abela Publishing and is an out-and-out fan of fairy tales and folklore.
In 2008 he established Abela Publishing as a Social Enterprise and publishes new and old children's stories, fairytales, folklore, myths and legends. He donates 33% of the company's profits to charities around the world.

Abela Publishing
http://www.abelapublishing.com/

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The Red Fairy Book - A Victorian Children's Classic

IN gleaning the fields of Fairy Land, Andrew Lang hoped that some of the tales in the Red Fairy Book may have the attraction of being as familiar as old friends. The tales have been translated, or adapted, from the originals originally written in old Norse, French, German, Romanian and many other European languages - he had a large field to choose from.

The popularity of Andrew Lang's books, and similar books from other folklorists of the day, did not rest well with some in the Folklore Society whose president believed it was not acceptable for the then prominent folklorists to be publishing fairy tales. Messers Lang, Jacobs and Campbell disagreed and opted to "Put themselves on their country and be tried by a jury of children" - and they were certainly not found wanting. So high was the demand that Andrew Lang followed the Red Fairy Book with the Blue Fairy Book and intended the third in the sequence, the Green Fairy Book, to be last. But so popular were these books that he published no less than 12 - almost running out of the colours that were available on the Victorian palette.

But why call them FAIRY TALES? One cannot imagine a child saying, 'Tell me a folk-tale', or 'Another nursery tale, please, grandma'. Fairy tales are stories in which something 'fairy' occurs, something extraordinary -- fairies, giants, dwarfs, speaking animals, or the remarkable stupidity of some of the characters. nd what better way to bring a gleam into a child's eye and put a smile on their face than by reading them a fairy tale. And just when you think you've finished, don't be surprised if you feel a tug at your sleeve and a request for "'nuther fairy tale please" for you have to remember that this is where good always wins over evil, where the Prince always gets his Princess and where the common man is allowed to best Knights, Princes and Kings.

In this volume, the first of many compiled by the late Andrew Lang, you will find the familiar fairytales and stories of the Pied Piper, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and The Golden Goose and less familiar tales of Sigurd, Drakestail, Little Golden Hood, The Six Sillies, Snowdrop and many others. With the exception of a few perennial favourites most will have not been seen, read nor heard for over a century thereby re-introducing children and young parents of today to a library of "new" material.

This book has been published to raise funds for The Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Children's Charity. In buying this book you will be donating to this great charity that does so much good and enables families to stay together in times of crisis. And what better way to help bring a sunbeam of joy into an ill child's life than to read them a fairytale and help them, albeit for a moment, to escape their reality.

33% of the Publisher's profit from the sale of this book will be donated to the GOSH Children's Charity.

For more information, a table of contents or to view a sample of the interior, go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/redfairybook.html.

John Halsted is CEO of Abela Publishing and an out-and-out fan of fairytales, folklore and legends.

He founded Abela Publishing as a Social Enterprise and specialises in publishing new and old Children's stories, fairytales, folklore, myths and legends. He donates 33% of Abela Publishing's profit to charities around the world.

To see which charities are currently supported, go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/charity.html

View the original article here