Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland

Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland
Author: Lisa Schneidau
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2018-03-19
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0750987324

The islands of Britain and Ireland hold a rich heritage of plant folklore and wisdom, from the magical yew tree to the bad-tempered dandelion. Here are traditional tales about the trees and plants that shape our landscapes and our lives through the seasons. They explore the complex relationship between people and plants, in lowlands and uplands, fields, bogs, moors, woodlands and towns. Suitable for all ages, this is an essential collection of stories for anyone interested in botany, the environment and our living heritage.

Woodland Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland

Woodland Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland
Author: Lisa Schneidau
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2020-09-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0750995777

Once upon a time, most of Britain and Ireland was covered in woodland. Many of the trees have been cleared, but our connection with the wildwood remains. It is a place of danger, adventure and transformation, where anything could happen. Here is a collection of traditional folk tales of oak, ash and thorn; of hunting forests and rebellion, timber and triumph in battle, wild ghosts and woodwoses. Lisa Schneidau retells some of the old stories and relates them to the trees and forests in the landscape of our islands today.

Animal Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland

Animal Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland
Author: Sharon Jacksties
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2020-02-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0750994460

Stories and animals have long travelled the same routes. Through our heritage of charming, quirky and profound tales, you will find yourself re-acquainted with Britain's wondrous fauna. Find out how hedgehog ended up with spines and what makes him scuttle so fast, discover how pigs saved a prince from leprosy and why the wealthy lord was so intent on capturing the black fox. Sharon Jacksties' wonderful book combines traditional stories, little-known zoological facts and true anecdotes to create a treasure trove of stories for animal lovers of every kind.

Great Tales from English History

Great Tales from English History
Author: Robert Lacey
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2004-06-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0759511616

With insight, humor and fascinating detail, Lacey brings brilliantly to life the stories that made England -- from Ethelred the Unready to Richard the Lionheart, the Venerable Bede to Piers the Ploughman. The greatest historians are vivid storytellers, Robert Lacey reminds us, and in Great Tales from English History, he proves his place among them, illuminating in unforgettable detail the characters and events that shaped a nation. In this volume, Lacey limns the most important period in England's past, highlighting the spread of the English language, the rejection of both a religion and a traditional view of kingly authority, and an unstoppable movement toward intellectual and political freedom from 1387 to 1689. Opening with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and culminating in William and Mary's "Glorious Revolution," Lacey revisits some of the truly classic stories of English history: the Battle of Agincourt, where Henry V's skilled archers defeated a French army three times as large; the tragic tale of the two young princes locked in the Tower of London (and almost certainly murdered) by their usurping uncle, Richard III; Henry VIII's schismatic divorce, not just from his wife but from the authority of the Catholic Church; "Bloody Mary" and the burning of religious dissidents; Sir Francis Drake's dramatic, if questionable, part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada; and the terrible and transformative Great Fire of London, to name but a few. Here Anglophiles will find their favorite English kings and queens, villains and victims, authors and architects - from Richard II to Anne Boleyn, the Virgin Queen to Oliver Cromwell, Samuel Pepys to Christopher Wren, and many more. Continuing the "eminently readable, highly enjoyable" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) history he began in volume I of Great Tales from English History, Robert Lacey has drawn on the most up-to-date research to present a taut and riveting narrative, breathing life into the most pivotal characters and exciting landmarks in England's history.

Workers' Tales

Workers' Tales
Author: Michael Rosen
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2018-11-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0691175349

A collection of political tales—first published in British workers’ magazines—selected and introduced by acclaimed critic and author Michael Rosen In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, unique tales inspired by traditional literary forms appeared frequently in socialist-leaning British periodicals, such as the Clarion, Labour Leader, and Social Democrat. Based on familiar genres—the fairy tale, fable, allegory, parable, and moral tale—and penned by a range of lesser-known and celebrated authors, including Schalom Asch, Charles Allen Clarke, Frederick James Gould, and William Morris, these stories were meant to entertain readers of all ages—and some challenged the conventional values promoted in children’s literature for the middle class. In Workers’ Tales, acclaimed critic and author Michael Rosen brings together more than forty of the best and most enduring examples of these stories in one beautiful volume. Throughout, the tales in this collection exemplify themes and ideas related to work and the class system, sometimes in wish-fulfilling ways. In “Tom Hickathrift,” a little, poor person gets the better of a gigantic, wealthy one. In “The Man Without a Heart,” a man learns about the value of basic labor after testing out more privileged lives. And in “The Political Economist and the Flowers,” two contrasting gardeners highlight the cold heart of Darwinian competition. Rosen’s informative introduction describes how such tales advocated for contemporary progressive causes and countered the dominant celebration of Britain’s imperial values. The book includes archival illustrations, biographical notes about the writers, and details about the periodicals where the tales first appeared. Provocative and enlightening, Workers’ Tales presents voices of resistance that are more relevant than ever before.

London Folk Tales

London Folk Tales
Author: Helen East
Publisher: The History Press
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2012-12-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0752478478

London is a world unto itself; an outrageous, quirky and diverse microcosm where all walks of life cross paths, their languages jostling and mingling – and there are tales whichever way you turn. Now thirty of the best, drawn from oral history and newly recorded local reminiscence, as well as folk sources and written texts, have been brought to life by a mistress of storytelling. Here you will find Dick Whittington alongside the patron saint of cobblers, a royal rat rubbing shoulders with the Maid Uncumber, and fish that decide destinies. Revisit old friends and discover new ones in this wonderful selection of London folk tales – as light and dark, and as full of unexpected twists, as the streets of London itself.

Collected Folk Tales

Collected Folk Tales
Author: Alan Garner
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2011-10-27
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0007446101

From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker and the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning classic, The Owl Service The definitive collection of traditional British folk tales, selected and retold by the renowned Alan Garner.

British Folk Tales and Legends

British Folk Tales and Legends
Author:
Publisher: Presbyterian Publishing Corp
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2004-01-14
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 0203217896

In 1970 Katharine Briggs published in four volumes the vast and authoritative Dictionary of British Folktales and Legends to wide acclaim. This sampler comprises the very best of those tales and legends. Gathered within, readers will find an extravagance of beautiful princesses and stout stable boys, sour-faced witches and kings with hearts of gold. Each tale is a masterpiece of storytelling, from the hilarious 'Three Sillies' to the delightfully macabre 'Sammle's Ghost'.

Tales of Britain

Tales of Britain
Author: Jem Roberts
Publisher: Unbound Publishing
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2019-01-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1912618451

77 timeless tales from up and down the length of Great Britain – Wales, Scotland, Kernow, England and the Isles – have been retold for the 21st century by curious storyteller Brother Bernard, with a tourist guide to the real location of each folktale included. This road atlas of myth and mischief allows us to visit famed heroes King Arthur, Merlin, Robin Hood, Lady Godiva, Macbeth, Dick Whittington and Jack, but also those who should be more celebrated, like Molly Whuppie, Bran the Blessed, Bladud, Taliesin and Tom Thumb. Since Britain became an island eight millennia ago, generations of immigrants have made their home here in Albion, creating their own stories, which have become part of the richly stocked treasury of British folklore. Some are strange, some are sad, some are exciting, some are scary, many are silly, and at least two are totally daft. Brother Bernard retells these restored tales with devotion to the ancient legends, but with a fresh eye and added anarchic vim to be enjoyed anew.

Soupy Twists!

Soupy Twists!
Author: Jem Roberts
Publisher: Unbound Publishing
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2018-09-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1783526378

This first ever, officially authorised biography of Fry & Laurie takes us on their journey from insecure Footlighters to international comedy heroes. It is the tale of a true friendship, a deep affection between two very funny men which has long been reflected back from an adoring public. Jem Roberts, acclaimed chronicler of Blackadder and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, covers everything from the excitement of being the first Perrier Award winners with The Cellar Tapes to the terrors of performing on Saturday Live, the collaborative warfare of Blackadder and the ultimate depiction of Wodehouse’s most inimitable characters, Jeeves & Wooster. Beyond this, the trials and tribulations of their remarkable subsequent separate career paths, from QI to House, will be explored for the first time. With tantalising, never-before-seen titbits from the A Bit of Fry & Laurie archive, and interviews with Emma Thompson, Richard Curtis, John Lloyd and more, this history of Fry & Laurie is an overdue celebration, paying tribute to a legacy of laughter from one of the funniest double acts of all time.