Eight of the twelve tales in this book are from the master hand of Charles Perrault (1628-1703). It is true to say that as long as there are children to listen spellbound to the adventures of 'Cinderella', 'Red Riding Hood', and that arch rogue 'Puss in Boots', his memory will endure. Three of the tales, 'The Ridiculous Wishes', 'Donkey-Skin' and 'Patient Griselda', are seldom included in Perrault collections as they were written in a very florid verse form. Not only Perrault, but Boccaccio, Chaucer and others have used the story of 'Patient Griselda'. The last story's 'Beauty and the Beast'. 144 page paperback.

The captivating Irish stories collected in this new edition include both comic tales such as Paddy O'Kelly and the Weasel, and tales of heroes from ancient literature such as How Cormac Mac Art Went to Faery. By turns funny, fantastical and mysterious, the stories are matched in liveliness by the original illustrations of John D. Batten. It would be hard to find a better introduction for children to the special magic of Celtic storytelling. The stories in this book are taken from Joseph Jacob's classic two-volume collection Celtic Fairy Tales (1891-2) and More Celtic Fairy Tales (1894). 232pp. Paperback.

The beautiful Scheherazade's royal husband threatens to kill her, so each night she diverts him by weaving wonderful tales of fantastic adventure, leaving each story unfinished so that he spares her life to hear the ending the next night. This is the background to the Arabian Nights. In this selection made by that master of folklore and fairy-tale Andrew Lang, the reader meets Aladdin with his wonderful lamp, the Enchanted Horse, the Princess Badoura, Sinbad the Sailor, and the great Caliph of Bagdad, Haroun-al-Raschid. 352pp. Paperback.

The legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table is one of the most enduring in world literature. Its scenes of love, war, religion, treachery and family loyalty are timeless as are the reputations of its major characters Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere and Lancelot. Malory's story of noble knights, colourful tournaments and fateful love is set in a courtly society which although outwardly secure is in reality torn by dissent and ultimately treachery. Originally published in 1485, the book is here presented in modern spelling and accompanied by an Introduction and helpful Glossary. Amazing value, 912 page paperback with good-sized print.

Chinese alchemy was nourished by Taoism with its two distinct branches: the classical Tao Chia, grounded in mysticism, and the popular Tao Chiao, with its magical, alchemical bias, arising traditionally in the time of the Yellow Emperor and his Three Immortal Ladies. Non-theistic and working in accord with nature, Chinese Alchemy operated through the complementary principles of yin and yang. Many Taoist texts have yet to be translated, but the Alchemical movement must predate 144 BC when an edict ordered execution for anyone making counterfeit gold. The later Han Dynasty (AD 25-220) was a time of interest in science and astronomy, and at this time the first alchemical book was written by Wei Po-yang, while the earliest complete treatise was the work of Ko Hung in the 4th century, dealing with gods, genii, prescriptions and medicines, maintenance of life, extension of years, and banishing misfortune. Ko Hung argued that alchemical change was one aspect of the universal transformation in nature, and that the creation of gold and silver was a logical step from this general principle, with immortality a further possible gain from good living. According to some experts, Chinese Alchemy derives from the northern influence of shamanism, and the author investigates links to shamanism and also to the western tradition of alchemy, with its common principle that death precedes a harmonious renewal. 156pp, paperback, line drawings.

To understand the Universe we must first comprehend the language and read the letters in which it is composed, the language of mathematics. The book is not merely a history of scientific learning but a stirring defence of Enlightenment values in the quest for human advancement, and how mankind discovered the size, trajectory and age of the Earth. Our planet's elliptical orbit around the Sun and its billions-of-years existence are facts we take for granted, but humanity's struggle towards these scientific truths have lasted millennia. Krivine tells the story of the thinkers and scientists whose work allowed our species to put an age to the planet and pinpoint our place in the solar system. It is a history of bold innovators - not only Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler, but Halley, Kelvin, Darwin and Rutherford among many others. Courage, iniquity, religious dogmatism, genius and blind luck all played a part of freeing the mind from the constraints of cant, ideology and superstition. Chapters include The 20th Century and Radio Activity, The Construction of Heliocentrism and The Battle Over It. The crucial question of knowing whether earth really is immobile, the centre of the universe lay at the root of the battle between the Catholic Church and Galileo, and like many historical battles it has often been simplified. Until the 18th century, scientists (intellectuals) were all believers, even men of the church. Galileo was far from being isolated or misunderstood. Just like Kepler, with whom he corresponded, he was honoured as one of the leading mathematicians of his time and the protégé of the future Pope Urban VIII, who nonetheless had him condemned in 1633. Giordano Bruno and Tycho Brahe, the first a mystic obsessed by a vision of the cosmos, the second a meticulous observer of the positions of the heavenly bodies, were totally different individuals on different paths. Both helped to shatter Ptolemy's construction. Page turning history, beautifully told. 282pp, dozens of diagrams.

First published in 1898, this was translated from a 13th century manuscript written in Old French, but the original author is unknown. This is the story of Sir Perceval and the Holy 'Graal', the stirring story of a quest with all the important Arthurian characters - Queen Guinevere, Lancelot, Gawain, and of course, King Arthur himself, as well as plenty of castles, fights, swords and knights. 'Thereon, lo you, two damsels that issue forth of a chapel, whereof the one holdeth in her hands the most Holy Graal, and the other the Lance hereof the point bleedeth thereinto. And the one goeth beside the other in the midst of the hall where the knights and Messire Gawain sat at meat, and so sweet a smell and so holy came to them that they forgot to eat.' The translator stated in 1898 'They will find here printed in English for the first time what I take to be in all good faith the original story of Sir Perceval and the Holy Graal, whole and incorrupt as it left the hands of its first author.' 298pp paperback.

For children aged 3-7, this retelling of the story of Red Riding Hood by the legendary children's author Beatrix Potter is a gorgeous read. It is beautifully complemented with full-page colour illustrations by Helen Oxenbury, acclaimed illustrator of the modern children's classic We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Unlike the authors of some versions, Potter makes no attempt to disguise the fact that the story does not end well for Red Riding Hood and her Grandma, but in her foreword to the volume, Oxenbury explains that she has tried to offer an alternative, happier ending in her final illustration, where the woodcutters are running after the escaping fox who is far too fat to get away. The villainous fox is in many ways the star of the story with his gleaming eyes and malevolently scheming expression, and Oxenbury describes how she really enjoyed bringing out the humour in his wickedness. Potter's own stories are rooted in the English countryside, and these illustrations bring out the beauty of the path which "led over hill and dale, through golden meadow sunshine, and under the flickering, leafy shadows of the birch trees." Red Riding Hood is pictured waist high in a meadow of poppies and cow parsley, then in the shadows of the evening sunshine as she reaches her destination. 46pp, beautifully illustrated in colour.

Quick, Simple, and Practical Magic for Every Day of the Year, this cheerful, practical book does what it says on the cover: each page is devoted to a day of the year, with instructions for a spell to improve happiness and contentment. Although some of the spells are tied to a specific date, for instance "Summer Solstice Power Spell" or "Autumn Equinox Spell for Balance", most of them are designed to be used at any time in a wide range of situations. The equipment needed is mostly what can be found in the household cupboard or local shop. A Mother and Child Bonding Spell for 12 May, around the time of Mothering Sunday, requires an orange candle, two quartz stones and a white lily in a pot. The candle is lit, the spellcaster focuses mentally on his or her own parental relationships while holding the quartz stones, and then they are pressed into the soil of the lily pot for permanence. Most love spells tend to relate to other people, but a rather original 14 February entry here is a "Valentine's Spell to Love Yourself", involving a bag of candy hearts and a mirror, where you read out to yourself the message on the heart. The New Year's Day spell for starting afresh requires a purple candle and your favourite incense, to reinforce the message to yourself that you can and will become a new person. For the "Spell to End the Old Year" you need a pen and some fireworks, and you are going to write on the fireworks all the things you want to eliminate from your life, then light them and send the bad stuff shooting off into space. 384pp, softback, drawings.

Two leading Wiccans combine to provide different perspectives on Wicca in this volume of practical aspects of the craft. Shawn Robbins contributes her psychic gifts and her experiences as a practitioner of magic directed towards the healing of the mind and soul, while Charity Bedell is a student of the Feri tradition of witchcraft and has particular interests in trolldom, runes, druidism, kabbalah, shamanism, ceremonial magic and Egyptian magic. To complement this she runs an online store of herbs that she uses spiritually in her practice. The book's chief focus is on the power of holistic healing. An introduction on the differences between traditional and modern witchcraft explains that the inflexibility of traditional spellcasting is now being widely replaced by a more flexible approach. Although some witches work with negative energy, others with positive, the rule of thumb is never to perform magick to change a person's free will, not only because it is wrong in itself but also because spells always bounce back on their creators in some way. Common herbal remedies are listed, for instance the power of mugwort, chamomile or nettle, with a chapter on aromatherapy, crystal alignment and chakra balancing. A final section on a range of potions is accompanied by Wiccan recipes, including Imbolc Cake and Muffins for Beltane. 307pp, drawings.