An Incomplete Esoteric Education

Jack the Giant Killer, Retold and Illustrated by Richard Doyle.

“A beautiful British edition of this famous story for juveniles, retold by Richard Doyle, who has also created the delightful full-color illustrations. The black-&-white endpapers reprint five of Ernest H. Shepard's illustrations from "Dream Days," & an illustration by S. C. Hulme Beaman. Bookmark matches cover color. Beautifully designed. Cover has gold type on deep blue-purple felt-like binding.” – Amazon. Although it must have been an older version, I never look at this book without thinking about Samuel Johnson saying that whenever the general talk turned to society, he abstracted himself in boredom and instead thought about Jack the Giant-Killer.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Fairy Tale. Hardback.

The Oxford Book of Carols, by Percy Dearmer, Martin Shaw, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

A classic collection of carols. “Vaughan Williams was a noted composer and arranger of music in the Anglican Church and a founder member of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. He was a scholar of English folk-song and his music was greatly influenced by traditional folk forms. Vaughan Williams had collaborated with Percy Dearmer on the production of the English Hymnal, which was published in 1906, and as with this hymnal, The Oxford Book of Carols favoured traditional folk tunes and polyphonic arrangements of carols, instead of the Victorian hymn tunes that Vaughan Williams considered to be over-sentimental and Germanic in tone. Vaughan Williams in particular drew on music from his own childhood and his scholarship of English folk music, and was driven by his conviction that the music of ordinary people should be valued.” – Wikipedia. Contains some carols by Frances Chesterton.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Carols. Collection. Hardback.

Irish Wonders: Popular Tales as Told by the People, by D. R. McAnally, Jr. Illustrated by H. R. Heaton.

“The Ghosts, Giants, Pookas, Demons, Leprechawns, Banshees, Fairies, Witches, Widows, Old Maids, and Other Marvels of the Emerald Isle.” Reprint of a classic work of folklore.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code. Ireland. Folklore. Hardback.

Russian Fairy Tales, Collected by Aleksandr Afanas’ev, Translated by Norbert Guterman, Illustrated by Alexander Alexeieff.

I first read this book in college and recognized the stories behind Gardner’s “In the Suicide Mountains”. I remember Kenny’s then-girlfriend Tracie reading out loud one of the stories while she sat on the old green couch in front of the porch window in the boy’s room. A wonderful collection full of Koschey the Deathless, Baba Yaga, many-headed dragons who sometimes ride horses, tsars, fools, and talking animals of particularly Russian character, and illustrated in an initially forbidding folk-style that comes to grow on you.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Fairy Tales. Russian. Softcover.

Great Swedish Fairy Tales, selected by Elsa Olenius, translated by Holger Lundbergh, and Illustrated by John Bauer.

The illustrations seem to be the main feature here; that is certainly the way the cover sells it. The Swedish artist John Bauer is famous for his artwork, especially his trolls, which have influenced both Brian Froud and the trolls in the Rankin/Bass ‘Hobbit’.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Fairy Tales. Swedish. John Bauer. Softcover.

Scandinavian Folktales, Translated and Edited by Jacqueline Simpson. Illustrated by Caroline Gowdy.

I read it in college and was pleased to find this copy at Half-Price. Stories grim and stark, mostly, bleak as a Northern sky, illustrated in a minimalist folk-style. For a good sample, read ‘How to Raise the Dead’, page 110. Not a book of twinkly tales to amuse the children, unless you’re looking to teach them a hard lesson and keep them in line. Jacqueline Simpson strikes again!

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Folk Tales. Scandinavian. Softcover.

Irish Folk Tales, Edited by Henry Glassie.

“Here are 125 magnificent folktales collected from anthologies and journals published from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Beginning with tales of the ancient times and continuing through the arrival of the saints in Ireland in the fifth century, the periods of war and family, the Literary Revival championed by William Butler Yeats, and the contemporary era, these robust and funny, sorrowful and heroic stories of kings, ghosts, fairies, treasures, enchanted nature, and witchcraft are set in cities, villages, fields, and forests from the wild western coast to the modern streets of Dublin and Belfast.” – Amazon. Bought it in the college bookstore, as I recall. Or was it from a book club? About that era, anyway. Some illustrations at the section heads.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Folk Tales. Irish. Softcover.

The Children’s Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy, by Padraic Colum. Illustrated by Willy Pogany.

Another Colum/Pogany joint effort, which I had to have. It is mostly pictures of people throwing spears, with an occasional monster here and there (I can’t say I think much of Colum’s version of Polyphemus or Scylla). Haven’t read it as I know the story, but couldn’t pass up the book because, you know, Colum and Pogany.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Myth and Legend. Children’s. Softcover.

The Kalevala, or Poems of the Kalevala District, Compiled by Elias Lonnrot. Translated by Francis Peabody Magoun, Jr.

Most simply put, it is the national poem of Finland. “The Kalevala was compiled by Elias Lönnrot, who published the folk material in two editions (32 cantos, 1835; enlarged into 50 cantos, 1849). Kalevala, the dwelling place of the poem’s chief characters, is a poetic name for Finland, meaning “land of heroes.” The leader of the “sons of Kaleva” is the old and wise Väinämöinen, a powerful seer with supernatural origins, who is a master of the kantele, the Finnish harplike stringed instrument. Other characters include the skilled smith Ilmarinen, one of those who forged the “lids of heaven” when the world was created; Lemminkäinen, the carefree adventurer-warrior and charmer of women; Louhi, the female ruler of Pohjola, a powerful land in the north; and the tragic hero Kullervo, who is forced by fate to be a slave from childhood. Among the main dramas of the poem are the creation of the world and the adventurous journeys of Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemminkäinen to Pohjola to woo the beautiful daughter of Louhi, during which the miraculous sampo, a mill that produces salt, meal, and gold and is a talisman of happiness and prosperity, is forged and recovered for the people of Kalevala. Although the Kalevala depicts the conditions and ideas of the pre-Christian period, the last canto seems to predict the decline of paganism: the maid Marjatta gives birth to a son who is baptized king of Karelia, and the pagan Väinämöinen makes way for him, departing from Finland without his kantele and songs.” – Wikipedia. I have not completely read this book. The Kalevala not only influenced Tolkien’s work, it’s also the basis for one of Kameron’s and my favorite MST3K’s, “The Day the Earth Froze.” So there’s that. Magoun’s translation is described as ‘prose’ in that, while it is still in lines and stanzas, it does not try to keep the alliterative or stressed beat of the original ‘runot’; this form can be seen in Longfellow’s “Hiawatha’, which was influenced by the epic poem.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Epic Poem. Translation. Softcover.

Heimskringla, or The Lives of the Norse Kings, by Snorre Sturlason. Edited with Notes by Erling Monsen. And translated into English with the assistance of A. H. Smith.

“With 145 Illustrations and 5 Maps”. “It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson … Heimskringla is a collection of sagas about Swedish and Norwegian kings, beginning with the saga of the legendary Swedish dynasty of the Ynglings, followed by accounts of historical Norwegian rulers from Harald Fairhair of the 9th century up to the death of the pretender Eystein Meyla in 1177.” – Wikipedia. All part of my Northern Thing. That being said, I haven’t read it all, it being a big thick brick of a book.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Saga. Softcover.

The Animal Story Book, Edited by Andrew Lang. Illustrations by H. J. Ford.

“The Animal Story Book, part of Andrew Lang’s original Fairy Book series, has been admired time and time again, enchanting readers with its carefully crafted prose and eclectic assortment of tales, featuring animals from land, sea, and air, from the domesticated dog and parrot to the wild lion and dolphin. Originally published in 1896, this collection of celebrated tales has stood the test of time.” A Dover book.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Animal Stories. Softcover.

English Fairy Tales, Collected by Joseph Jacobs. Illustrated by John D. Batten.

“Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 – 30 January 1916) was an Australian folklorist, translator, literary critic, social scientist, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore … His work went on to popularize some of the world's best known versions of English fairy tales including "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Goldilocks and the three bears", "The Three Little Pigs", "Jack the Giant Killer" and "The History of Tom Thumb". He published his English fairy tale collections: English Fairy Tales in 1890 and More English Fairy Tales in 1893 but also went on after and in between both books to publish fairy tales collected from continental Europe as well as Jewish, Celtic and Indian fairytales which made him one of the most popular writers of fairytales for the English language. During his lifetime, Jacobs came to be regarded as one of the foremost experts on English folklore.” – Wikipedia. Got this copy at Yesterday’s Warehouse.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Fairy Tales. Collection. Softcover.

The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, Edited by Iona and Peter Opie.

“Here is a brand new edition of the classic anthology of nursery rhymes--over 500 rhymes, songs, nonsense jingles, and lullabies traditionally handed down to young children. Included are all of your favorites, ranging from "Yankee Doodle Came to Town" and "A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go" to "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," Jack and Jill" and "Old Mother Hubbard." And complementing the rhymes are nearly a hundred illustrations, including reproductions of early art found in ballad sheets and music books, which highlight the development of children's illustrations over the last two centuries. With each piece, Iona and Peter Opie introduced a wealth of information, noting the earliest known publications of the rhyme, describing how it originated, illustrating changes in wording over time, and indicating variations and parallels in other languages. Moreover, in the general introduction, the Opies discuss the different types of rhyme and the earliest published collections, and they address such questions as who was Mother Goose and whether or not individual rhymes originally portrayed real people. For this second edition, the notes have been updated and extended in light of recent scholarship, providing an unrivaled wealth of literary and bibliographic information.” – Amazon.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Nursery Rhymes. Dictionary. Hardback.

Paracelsus: Selected Writings, by Phillipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim. Edited by Jolande Jacobi. Translated by Norbert Guterman.

Illustrated by many old woodcuts of alchemy and natural philosophy. “The enigmatic sixteenth-century Swiss physician and natural philosopher Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, called Paracelsus, is known for the almost superhuman energy with which he produced his innumerable writings, for his remarkable achievements in the development of science, and for his reputation as a visionary (not to mention sorcerer) and alchemist. Little is known of his biography beyond his legendary achievements, and the details of his life have been filled in over the centuries by his admirers. This richly illustrated anthology presents in modernized language a selection of the moral thought of a man who was not only a self-willed genius charged with the dynamism of an impetuous and turbulent age but also in many ways a humble seeker after truth, who deeply influenced C. G. Jung and his followers.’ – Amazon. Paracelsus was always my favorite alchemist after I read about him in middle school. For all his learning and philosophy, he seemed to be a typical hard-headed Northern kind of fellow, argumentative and earthy. Bought this book for research and reference, as it were. I’ve peeked into it but haven’t really read it.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Alchemy. Natural Philosophy. Softcover.

The Art of Memory, and Bruno Giordano and the Hermetic Tradition, by Frances A. Yates.

Dame Frances’ work was a huge influence on John Crowley; the Art of Memory plays a key role in ‘Little, Big’, and the character of Bruno Giordano in the Aegypt Cycle. She even appears as a character in ‘Endless Things’. I bought these books out of the interest aroused by Crowley. “The ancient Greeks, to whom a trained memory was of vital importance—as it was to everyone before the invention of printing—created an elaborate memory system, based on a technique of impressing "places" and "images" on the mind. Inherited and recorded by the Romans, this art of memory passed into the European tradition, to be revived, in occult form, at the Renaissance, and particularly by the strange and remarkable genius, Giordano Bruno. Such is the main theme of Frances Yates's unique and distinctive book, in the course of which she sheds light on such diverse subjects as Dante's Divine Comedy, the form of the Shakespearian theater, and the history of ancient architecture. Aside from its intrinsic fascination, this book is an invaluable contribution to aesthetics and psychology, and to the history of philosophy, of science, and of literature.” – Amazon. ‘Memory’ has a fold out diagram; both are illustrated with woodcuts and half-tone reproductions of art. These are densely scholarly works into which I have only dipped a toe; I suppose I really am a dilettante and not a real academic.

Ranking: Essential, yet only Keepers.

File Code: Medieval Philosophy. Softcovers.

The White Goddess, by Robert Graves.

“The White Goddess: a Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth is a book-length essay on the nature of poetic myth-making by author and poet Robert Graves. The White Goddess represents an approach to the study of mythology from a decidedly CREATIVE and IDIOSYNCRATIC perspective. Graves proposes the existence of a European deity, the "White Goddess of Birth, Love and Death", much similar to the Mother Goddess, inspired and represented by the phases of the moon, who lies behind the faces of the diverse goddesses of various European and pagan mythologies … Graves argues that "true" or "pure" poetry is inextricably linked with the ancient cult-ritual of his proposed White Goddess and of her son … The White Goddess has been seen as a poetic work where Graves gives his notion of man's subjection to women in love an "anthropological grandeur" and further mythologises all women in general (and several of Graves's lovers in specific) into a three-faced moon goddess model. Graves's value as a poet aside, flaws in his scholarship such as poor philology, use of inadequate texts and outdated archaeology have been criticised. Some scholars, particularly archaeologists, historians and folklorists have rejected the work – which T. S. Eliot called "A prodigious, monstrous, stupefying, indescribable book" – and Graves himself was disappointed that his work was "loudly ignored" by many Celtic scholars.” Had to have it for insights into the ideas behind some of his novels.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Literary Theory. Crackpot. Softcover.

Magi: The Quest for a Secret Tradition, by Adrian G. Gilbert.

Illustrated by maps, star charts, and color photo inserts. I have always been interested by the Magi as somewhat enigmatic figures, and here they are examined by ‘reconstructive anthropological archaeology’. Not completely convinced by his conclusions, but his research, gathering of data, and theories are interesting.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Anthropology. Theory. Softcover.

The Hermetic Museum: Alchemy and Mysticism, by Alexander Roob.

A Taschen art book, and as such is a vast chunky image file with a dash of writing. Pictures such as these fascinated me as I found them sprinkled through history books and mythological ‘digests’ through school. Here they are gathered in one place, many in brilliant color. Enigmatic images and ancient diagrams, hinting at lost systems of esoteric knowledge.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Art. Mysticism. Softcover.

Christmas Curiosities, by John Grossman.

“Odd, Dark, and Forgotten Christmas” images and graphics. “Christmas Curiosities is just that; peculiar imagery from the time between St. Nicholas falling out of favor in the Protestant world and the now familiar image of Santa Claus becoming defined; also limited by the time that color printing becomes more widespread and inexpensive. Kristkindls, Krampuses, and Wienachtsmen compete with Santa Claus and St. Nicholas for the job of gift giver. I find the images of Mrs. Claus and Santa at the Creche are a lot older than I thought.” – Power of Babel.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Christmas. Art. Hardback.

A Dictionary of Chivalry, by Grant Uden. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes.

There was a copy of this in the Seguin public library that I wanted to borrow for years to browse in, but was unable to; it was in Reference, and could not be checked out. When I realized years later that it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes, my desire for this book only increased. I finally ordered this ex-library copy just recently; it too was marked for reference and “Not to be taken from this room”. Which is a shame, for it is basically what I would call a browser first and technical reference second, and so was isolated from its proper audience for years. Profusely illustrated in color and line drawings.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Dictionary. Chivalry. Hardback.

The Druids, by Stuart Piggott.

An edition of this book was in the high school library. I read it because I was fascinated with the Druids through much of my reading, especially Arthurian stories like “The Crystal Cave”. A scholarly look from archaeological and traditional accounts, with a record of their influence on popular imagination and ‘recreations’ of ancient religion. Profusely illustrated.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: History. Anthropology. Softcover.

The Works of Francois Rabelais, Translated by Sir Thomas Urquhart and Pierre Motteux. Illustrated by Frank. C. Pape.

Having been rather intrigued by accounts of Rabelais and already a fan of Pape from his illustrations of Cabell, I was extremely happy to find this book on a high shelf in Yesterday’s Warehouse. It is a little brittle and mildew-stained; no longer a reading copy, I fear. I have another Rabelais in softcover for that. Though Rabelais had a reputation as being rather risqué (which accounts for this edition), nowadays he wouldn’t flutter a pulse. He is rather ‘earthy’ and scatalogical, but most of his writing is scholarly and satirical. The style of Urquhart’s [pronounced ‘Irkit’] translation has influenced other writers, most notably Charles Kingsley and Robert Nye. Pape’s pictures are superb, with a certain kind of genius. [Since the binding is a rather plain lemon-yellow, I show a couple of the illustrations.]

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Classic. Satire. Hardback.

Saint George and the Dragon, by Edmund Spenser. Adapted by Sandol Stoddard Warburg. Illustrations by Pauline Baynes.

Found and read it in college. Preserved it in my memory with numerous Xeroxed images. Bought this copy many years later off the internet. More of Baynes’ medieval-style genius; the main reason I bought it. Let not this short entry be taken as an indication of its size in my affections.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Poetry. English. Hardback. Adaptation.

Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings, by Aboi Qasi Ferdowsi. A new translation by Dick Davis.

A big thick brick of a Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, got for a good price from Hamilton Books. “Wherever Persian influence has spread, the stories of the Shahnameh become deeply embedded in the culture … Among the greatest works of world literature, this prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi in the late tenth century, tells the story of pre-Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of creation and continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century. The sweep and psychological depth of the Shahnameh is nothing less than magnificent as it recounts classic tales like the tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab.” – From the Cover.  Of interest to me for its myths and influence on several writer (like Matthew Arnold, and through him, C. S. Lewis). Also, Ferdowsi would be an excellent name for a cat.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Persia. National Legend. Softcover.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, by Rudolf Erich Raspe. Illustrated by Gustave Dore.

This 1944 edition is from the Book League of America, famous for its inexpensive, black-binding reprints of the classics (like the edition in which I first read ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’). These famous stories, once read all over the world, went into an eclipse after Germany’s use of them in propaganda in WWII. Revived a bit with Terry Gilliam’s ‘flawed’ masterpiece movie adaptation.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Classic. Tall Tale. Hardback.

Le Morte D’Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory. Edited by John Matthews. Illustrated by Anna-Marie Ferguson.

“Complete, Unabridged, New Illustrated Edition”. One of the foundational works in the Arthurian legendarium, this book replaced a little paperback that I had. Could almost be a twin for the Alan Lee edition of “The Lord of the Rings” in size and design. Malory influenced White, Steinbeck, Lewis, and a host of other writers.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: The Matter of Britain. Legends. Hardback.

Shakespeare: The Complete Works, Edited by G. B. Harrison.

The textbook for my Shakespeare class under the great Dr. Robert W. Walts, it has the fully annotated plays and sonnets, and allied documents about the playwright. My preferred copy to read the plays in. Has my name in it. A souvenir of my highest attainment in English learning.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Shakespeare. Plays and Poetry. Hardback.

An Incomplete Education, by Judy Jones and William Wilson.

1987 Edition. Initially bought as a present for Mike, it later came back to me. This happens quite often to me: I give books I think both I and the other person would enjoy, and later I get them back. A compendium of facts about art, history, philosophy, science, and so on, potted into short snappy articles that help fill in gaps of one’s education and, if necessary, fake it. Illustrated. A good browser, it has been updated since.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Compendium of Civilization. Cheat Notes. Hardback.