"The higher Greek poetry did not make up fictitious plots: its business was to express the heroic saga, the myths." - Gilbert Murray. Even though war, and conflict generally, feature prominently in Greek mythology, and are heavy with symbolism and laden with meaning and significance - historical, political, social and cultural. The gods and goddesses of war are prominent members of the Greek pantheon: the battles fought by and between Olympians, Titans who rule the world, giants and battles for the Cosmos, and Amazons, between centaurs and lapiths, Zeus, wedding guests from Hell, the Theban and Epigoni Wars, Heracles, the Trojan War and battle for Helen, incest and infanticide were pivotal in Greek civilization. The Trojan War itself had huge and far-reaching consequences for subsequent Greek culture. The ubiquity of war themes in the Greek myths is a reflection of the prominence of war in everyday Greek life and society, which makes the relative obscurity of published literature all the more puzzling. This book redresses this by showing how conflict in mythology and legend resonated loudly as essential, existentialist even, symbols in Greek culture and how they are represented in classical literature and theatre, philosophy, religion, feminism, art, statuary, ceramics, architecture, numismatics, etymology, astronomy, even vulcanology to this day. 20 colour illus. 228 pages.

Taschen revive the most ambitious publication project of beloved Danish artist Kay Nielsen. In the late 1910s, in a Europe ravaged by World War I, illustrator Kay Nielsen put the finishing touches on his illustrations of A Thousand and One Nights following on from East of the Sun, West of the Moon. The results are considered masterpieces of early 20th-century illustration: bursting with sumptuous colours of deep blues, reds, and gold leaf, and evoking all the magic of this legendary collection of Indo-Persian and Arabic folktales, compiled between the 8th and 13th centuries. However, publishers retreated from Nielsen's project in the financially strapped postwar climate, and the publication never happened. A rising star, Nielsen moved on to other work. This world heritage classic's spectacular pen, ink, and watercolour images remained under lock and key for 40 years. Published just once in the 1970s, the illustrations were rescued from oblivion after Nielsen's death in 1957 and are now held by the UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Art Institute of Chicago, and in two private collections. This publication is a unique compilation of fine art prints and stunning illustrations reproduced directly from Nielsen's original watercolours - the only complete set of his extraordinary drawings to have survived. The book features descriptions of all of the images and three generously illustrated essays on the making of this series, the origin of Nielsen's unique imagery, and a history of the tales. In addition, it shows many unpublished or rarely seen artworks by Nielsen and intricate black-and-white drawings Nielsen created for the original publication. Stunning, 31.2 x 1.9 x 31.6cm, 144 pages. Text in English, French and German.

The archaeologist author together with Christiane Eluère takes us back beyond the borders of history. Achilles, Odysseus and other heroes of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey fought with shields and swords of bronze. What was the world like in those mythic days when the rival Greek cities of Troy and Mycenae battled for supremacy, and far to the West unknown engineers raised the megaliths of Stonehenge? We read about Achilles, armed for battle raging at the Trojans. 'First he placed along his legs the fair greaves linked with silver fastenings to hold the greaves at the ankles. Afterward he girt about his chest the corselet, and across his shoulders slung the sword with the nails of silver, a bronze sword, and caught up in the great shield, huge and heavy nets, and from it the light glimmered far, as far from the Moon... Next he pulled out from its standing place the spear of his father...' But what do we know of even earlier times when the settled peoples of Europe first replaced their crude stone tools with those made of refined metal, and crafted ornaments of beaten copper and gold? Chapters cover The Metallurgical Centres like the Gold of Varna in Bulgaria with 2,200 ornaments dating from as early as the 5th millennium, The Chalcolithic Period in the Iberian Peninsula which was the result of Eastern influences. Bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) appeared between 3000 and 1500BC in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Northern Europe. Pictured are remains and art in Crete, vessels, arms and armour, cultural centres, mother goddesses and horned figures, chariots, wheels and birds depicted in small Sardinian bronzes; the Mycenaean religion, funeral rites and an appendix on documents, with illustrations including the remarkable remains of Otzi, the ancient man, as preserved today. 160pp, paperback packed with colour illus. and glossy pages in this Thames & Hudson publication.

Retold by Neil Philip and illustrated by Sally Holmes along the lines of Arthur Rackham and in beautiful subtle colours, the Snow Queen is the most magical and profound of all Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. A quest full of mystery, humour and adventure, its uplifting theme is the power of innocence and enduring love. When Andersen's father died in his childhood, his mother said 'The ice maiden has taken him'. The seven chapters are The Mirror and the Splinters, A Little Boy and A Little Girl, The Old Woman's Flower Garden, A Prince and A Princess, The Little Robber Girl, The Lapp Woman and The Finn Woman, and What Happened in the Snow Queen's Palace and What Happened Afterwards. Colour illus., 64 large pages.

As treasured today as they will undoubtedly be for generations to come, Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales are cornerstones of our collective consciousness as much as of the Western literary canon. From The Ugly Duckling to The Little Mermaid and The Emperor's New Clothes, this beautifully presented collection shares the eternal magic of these stories with a selection of eight tales, each illustrated with sparkling vintage artwork from the 1890s to the 1980s. True to the international appeal of the stories, the featured artists hail from Scandinavia to Japan and include such greats as Kay Nielsen, Josef Palecek, Tom Seidmann-Freud (niece of Sigmund Freud), and the groundbreaking film animator Lotte Reiniger. The collection also features historic and contemporary silhouettes, a presentation of Andersen's immense legacy, and brief historical introductions to each fairy tale. A treasure for the whole family, this precious edition inspires and enchants as much as the mystical, magical worlds of Andersen's imagination. The following fairy tales are featured in the book: The Princess and the Pea, The Nightingale, The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, The Tinderbox. Compact size nearly 6" x 8" rich glowing colour and golden 'wallpaper' endpapers, woodcut silhouette illustrations and some golden pages. New from Taschen. 192 pages.

Sir Henry Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was the founder of the lost world genre and wrote many influential novels including the much-loved King Solomon's Mines. Over a hundred years after the books were first published, the terrifying tales of She who-must-be-obeyed, the eternally beautiful and fiercely cruel queen, continue to fascinate, and this new collection includes Ayesha: The Return of She, She and Allan and She. Ayesha, the white sorceress, has been known by many names: Isis Come to Earth, Wisdom's Daughter, and She who-must-be-obeyed. Arabian by birth, her natural beauty was the cause of many conflicts in her father's kingdom between would-be suitors. Seeking to protect herself, she swears an oath of celibacy to serve Isis the Goddess of the Spirit of Nature, and turn away from Aphrodite the Goddess of Love. However when Greek soldier of fortune Kallikrates comes to her for sanctuary, her resolve weakens. Kallikrates does not arrive alone - he is pursued by the Pharoah's daughter who is fiercely envious of Ayesha's beauty and vows to destroy her. 334 page paperback with biographical note.

The Book of Symbols combines original and incisive essays about particular symbols with representative images from all parts of the world and all eras of history. The highly readable texts and almost 800 beautiful full-colour images come together in a unique way to convey hidden dimensions of meaning. Each of the 350 essays examines a given symbol's psychic background and how it evokes psychic processes and dynamics. Etymological roots, the play of opposites, paradox and shadow, the ways in which diverse cultures have engaged a symbolic image-all these factors are taken into consideration. Authored by writers from the fields of psychology, religion, art, literature, and comparative myth, the essays flow into each other in ways that mirror the psyche's unexpected convergences. The Book of Symbols illuminates how to move from the visual experience of a symbolic image in art, religion, life, or dreams, to directly experiencing its personal and psychological resonance. 6½" x 9½", 810 pages.

Sub-titled 'The Weird and Wonderful World of Scandinavian Sayings'. Scandinavians are cooler, sexier and more stylish than the rest of us. They have a higher standard of living, greater economic opportunity and equality, the world's best restaurants, and moody TV dramas involving murders and Nordic jumpers. But did you know, amidst the obsession with hygge and IKEA, that Scandinavian sayings are absolutely BIZARRE?! Take the Swedish 'Skita i det blå skåpet', which roughly translates as: 'You've done a poo in the blue cupboard' ('You've messed things up now'). And in Norway, if you're slow on the uptake, the locals would suspect you were 'born behind a brown cheese' ('Å være født bak en brunost'). Or caught with his beard in the letterbox! This witty, enlightening book will give you 50 phrases you never knew you needed in your life, explaining their origin and literal translations, with gorgeous modern colour illustrations. 112 pages.

Clever, fun for all ages and UniCorny! With optimistic enlightenment on every page, let Unicorn teach you how to hopscotch over all of life's trials to a place where the grass definitely grows greener. With adorable quirky illustrations and wise, thoughtful and often completely hilarious life advice, this is a little book to keep firmly in your pocket, ready to be consulted whenever life gets a little bit tough. Unicorn would: Wear the jumper that Granny knitted with pride. Sing Pharrell in the shower. Walk in someone else's flip-flops. Try new things... uhm beetroot juice... pink, yummy. Make every day count. Unicorn would not ever: Worry about a bit of dust. Eat someone else's chocolate. Blame others - 'my Panda made me do it'. Dwell too much on the past. Take things for granted. A little book of life lessons. 96 page paperback.

The dragon, the kraken ginormous sea monster, Medusa with venomous snakes for hair, firebird which can be both a blessing and a bringer of doom, the magical woodland unicorn, the majestic griffin who fights until death to defend its nest of golden treasure, the chimera hybrid animal which is an omen for disaster, the spiky water beast with a growling tiger's head called the Shachihoko from Japan, the Minotaur and the human-eating Ushi-Oni, the monstrous wolf Fenrir from Scandinavia and the enchanting crow bird Sarimanok from the Philippines plus cyclops and more - unleash 15 incredible monsters if you dare. A Walker Book designed for children but actually with this superb paper engineering and colour pop-up spreads on every page this is more for adult collectors in our opinion.
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