The exquisite line art and observation of nature in the pencil drawings of Heather Vallance drew us to this beautifully illustrated modern take on the trickster tale. 'Friendship is like a winding path and you never know what is round the next bend or where that path will lead you. This tale is about such a friendship full of twists and turns and a heartfelt letter to a friend.' Long ago, far from everywhere, someone once found a letter stuffed into a hollow log. It was a letter of pain and love and anger and regret. It was a letter to a friend.' 'We were friends, remember, when you were still around. True friends. Close-as-can-be friends... except for one thing. You were quick and slick and sly, and I was dumber than a pile of rocks. But that's how it was. And it didn't matter. Then you went and stretched the string of friendship until it snapped and we weren't friends anymore. And now you?re gone, and here instead are Hare and Rooster, greedy and grinning and pushing to be my new friend.' 'Fox was as mean as a spoonful of mustard,' Hare tells me.' The farmhouse, frozen ponds, drilling holes to go fishing together, a mouthful of wasps, the trickster is tricked... 'And I can't help wondering... where are you now?' Readers? eyes will be bulging and your whiskers trembling by the end of the moralistic tale injected with a fresh contemporary twist for modern audiences. With beautiful pagemarker, 60 very large pages and exquisite line art.
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Are the Freemasons the largest charitable organisation in the world, or a secretive society with an ulterior motive? With running time 47 minutes, this colour DVD film delves into a world of age-old allegory, infamous rituals and secret associations to reveal a fascinating, enigmatic and often misunderstood organisation. A series of fascinating interviews from current and ex-Freemasons offers an unprecedented look into the normally private world of Freemasonry. We explore the cloaked and veiled world from mystical symbolism to the declaration of Brotherly love, charity and truth.

A companion to A Drink of Water code 92063, this 1961 classic is vividly illustrated with Quentin Blake's inimitable drawings, nine in colour and ten in black and white. It is nearly the summer holidays, and Billy Dexter and his classmates are trying to finish their wicker baskets. Their craft teacher Miss Beddows is so appalled by Billy's efforts that she keeps him in after class for a pep talk. 'As long as you set your mind on something and try hard enough, there's nothing you can't do.' Billy loves the idea that he can do anything, but his friends Melanie and Paul don't agree. 'What about growing horns?' suggests Melanie. It is a challenge Billy has to accept. 'When the children return to school after the summer holidays Billy was his normal self again and seemed, if anything, more cheerful and harder working than in the days before he grew the antlers.' A wonderful fantasy tale observed from the reality of school life, long hot summer holidays and children's imaginations and friendship. 48pp, illus.

16 origin legends about how the world began, beautifully illustrated in colour by Patricia Ludlow, the stories include The Master of Breath, Old Man's Magic, Five Aztec Worlds, Land of Ice, Order from Chaos, The Evil Thorn Tree, Obatala and the Hen, Marduk and the Tablets of Destiny, Gods and Lotus Flowers, The Giant Who Made the World, Animal Magic, The Cosmic Coconut, and Dreaming among them. All over the world as people gathered in families, tribes and communities, people invented different solutions to the mystery of existence. The names of some of the gods and spirits in this compendium are unfamiliar and some look completely unpronounceable but saying something like the word 'Shu' out loud for example explains why it is the name for the Ancient Egyptian god of air. Soak up the mystery of myths and make some astonishing discoveries and enjoy illustrations such as when these Japanese creator gods met around the Heavenly Pillar, and Man first had to speak to communicate. There are tales from Australian Aborigines, the Maori people of New Zealand, the Dayak people of the rainforests of Borneo, Ancient Chinese myths, from Babylon, West Africa to the Ancient Greeks, from Titans and Olympian gods to the Dreamtime of the Aboriginal peoples. Designed for youngsters but we believe appeals to curious adults who also appreciate beautiful illustrations. With glossary, 80 large pages.

Considered now a 20th century children's classic, this charming children's book of animal fables was first published in 1960 and was the first children's book either Quentin Blake the illustrator or John Yeoman ever published. It exudes all the warmth and wit we have come to expect of their collaborations. Who would believe it could be so hard to get a drink of water? And to find it at last, cool and fresh but out of reach - that was a problem indeed for a young monkey. Luckily for him, he had an observant and logical mind. This was more than could be said for the dog that made friends with the bear, or the vain jackdaw; and as for the silly ewe and the nanny goat, well, one might call it guile or one might call it simplicity that kept the wolves at bay. The Heron and the Crane, The Kitten and the Vixen and The Jungle Band are among the seven tales included in this beautiful collection with colour illustrations. 64pp. A companion to 92054 Boy Who Sprouted Antlers.

With her trademark gold effect borders and touches, the exquisite full page colour paintings of Isabelle Brent decorate these 20 classic tales by the famous German storytellers, the Brothers Grimm. They have been retold for a younger audience perhaps ages 12 and up by folklorist Neil Philip for the enjoyment of children today. The collection includes The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, The Musicians of Bremen, The Golden Goose, Snow White and lesser-known tales like Clever Elsie, The Miller's Boy and the Cat, The Three Lazy Bones, The Gold Children, Manyfurs and The Golden Key. Big glamorous bright white pages, each one decorated with golden border, colour illus.
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The tradition of Jewish mysticism known as the Kabbalah has experienced a resurgence in recent years, with celebrities including David Beckham and Madonna promoting the fashionable Kabbalah Centre, though the Centre itself has come under criticism for its cult-like character. Scientists of the past have taken the Kabbalah seriously, particularly in the 17th century when Locke and Leibniz studied it and Newton rejected it. The original Kabbalah was formulated in the medieval period in the text known as the Zohar, though Kabbalists claim that its origins lie much earlier. In Renaissance Florence under Lorenzo di Medici, the Kabbalah was embraced by Christians and renamed the Cabbala. This second strand of Christian mysticism, popularised by Pico della Mirandola, influenced Milton and Marlowe in Paradise Lost and Dr Faustus, and ultimately resulted in the infamous practices of the 20th century magician Aleister Crowley. This book aims to describe and untangle the various thread of Kabbalistic thought from the earliest times. The essence of Kabbalah is to understand how the divine will created and maintains the universe, drawing closer to the unknowable source. The author traces the origins of the Kabbalah to the visions of Ezekiel and Isaiah and the Talmud, the Palace literature of the 5th to 7th centuries, the figure of Metatron, the legendary scholar Aaron of Baghdad, the dualism of the Cathars and the influence of Moses of Leon and Castile. When the Zohar was written, the ten forces of the sefirot were given new, higher functions to explain the cosmic drama of the En-Sof, the source of sources. The author's comprehensive approach to the subject culminates in the Occult revival, including the Order of the Golden Dawn and New Age mysticism of the 20th century. 278pp, colour reproductions.

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Odense, the son of a shoemaker. His early life was wretched, but he was adopted by a patron and became a short-story writer, novelist and playwright, though he remains best known for his magical fairy tales, which were published between 1835 and 1872. For 150 years his stories have been delighting both adults and children. Packed with light-hearted whimsy combined with mature wisdom they are as entrancing as ever. Here over 40 of Andersen's 168 tales, and among the favourites are The Red Shoes, The Mermaid, The Real Princess, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Tinder-Box and, of course, The Ugly Duckling. Illus. throughout. 400pp. Paperback.

'When the gods were human' is the beginning of an Old Babylonian tale which refers to a mythical period of time before mankind and the gods had to 'do all chores themselves'. It is just one story in a collection that transports the reader to the ancient Near East (what is now modern Syria and Iraq). Anthology of Ancient Mesopotamian Text translates Akkadian and Sumerian literature and captures the imagination, even in those stories where there are gaps as so few copies are preserved completely. The first of the tales is about when the gods were human, The Ancient Near Eastern Tale of the Deluge in which the gods bore hardship day and night for 2,500 years under the king Anu before the other gods revolted. There is a fascinating story called The Babylonian Theodicy which is a 'dialogue about the indifference of the gods' and sees a sufferer tell a friend that 'melancholy and sorrow blacken my face'. The story of the tooth worm is morbidly amusing and narrates the tale of an animal which was created by a quagmire and wished to feast upon human's gums instead of figs, apricots and apples. The book also includes small invocations and prayers to the gods, from a letter in which a person asks why they have been neglected and a lullaby for a baby whose cries disturbed the household god, to the Ishtar hymn of Ammiditana who praises 'mistress of womankind' and describes the goddess as possessing 'seductive appearance, cosmetics and attractiveness'. The stories are translated by a group of authors and are based on academic editions of the tales which are listed in the book's notes. A chronological table at the back of the book also offers readers a rough orientation of ancient Mesopotamia, from the invention of writing in Uruk around 3,200 BC and the supremacy of the Dynasty of Akkade between 2320 and 2170 BC, to the Conquest of Babylon by Cyrus II of Persia and the loss of independence in 539 BC. 122pp.

Follow directions on basic wizard's gear to make party robes, hats and other item including a Chinese wizard's robe, fairy wands and wings or a crystal crown. Learn about dragon wrestling, cabbage bowling, tealeaf reading, Egyptian dice and make special food and drink recipes such as Mandrake Cupcakes and Lavender Lemonade. Mix potions for an alchemists' gathering, make a throne for the realm for Merlin's birthday party, build a merry maypole for the welcome springtime fairy frolic or even make it 'snow' inside for a wizard's winter revels. We dare you to turn out the lights and read the tale of the Beheading Ball or hear Merlin's story about what really happened to King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone. Spell-catcher safety goggles, magic flowers, fairy rosewater, orange peel fireworks, magic chameleon eggs, Chinese lanterns, caramel apples, a genie bottle, a fairy wristlet, paper pyramids or an Egyptian fortune catcher, here are magical things to make and marvellous things to do plus feasting and gaming. 144 heavyweight beautifully decorated pages with runes and colour and line art for ages 8-12 years - this old wizard wants to share his magical secrets with eager apprentices. 21 x 22cm and bottle green bonded leather edition with gold embossed decoration.