Mind, Body, Spirit

Sub-Saharan Africa has a powerful tradition of storytelling. Despite the diversity of traditions, a number of beliefs and themes are shared by African peoples, from the Yoruba people of west Africa, to the Zulu of South Africa. This book offers a range of tales, from creation stories and trickster adventures to animal fables and moral stories.

Populated by gods, High Kings, willful Queens, noble warriors, fairies, goblins and wizards the Celtic myths are unsurpassed in their variety and power. This new book is a dazzling collection of the most gripping Celtic tales, vividly retold, gathering together the legends and sagas of this ancient culture.

River Gods, snake spirits, mountain and Immortals, Chinese mythology is alive with ancient passions. China’s unique set of tales are derived from its vast expanse, diverse culture and the endless internal wars. This brilliant new book introduces the key themes of Chinese legend before plunging into the fascinating stories themselves.

The modern nations of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and more inherit the folk and mythic tales of the rift valley region. Here you'll find stories of ogres and tricksters, riddles and poems, and great heroes of history such as Liongo. This new collection is created for the modern reader.

The dark forces of the ancient world were held at bay by the resourceful and emerging civilisations of Greece and Rome that formed the basis of Western culture, providing a tradition of fabulous tales that are retold in this new book.

India, one of the great, ancient civilizations spawned a fascinating canon of myths and legends. With multiple gods, and a riot of colour and character this fantastic new book, explores the themes and landscapes that created the tales, and retells the stories of Krishna, Buddha and Shiva, and some of the many different versions of creation.

Here we find humankind battling with the elements in the flood myth, a grim creation story and the great Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest recorded literary treasures. Babylon, a powerful city state in 1800 BC was a centre of spiritual, economic and military power, each represented in the fragments and myths of this book of classic tales.

The Algonquins, Iroquois and The Last of the Mohicans – the tribes of North America and their folk tales are deeply fascinating because they are unique amongst the mythologies of the world. The retold tales collected for this new book celebrate the diverse tribal vision of a rich and powerful tradition that still resonates today.

The Viking gods fought a constant battle with nature. Odin, Thor and Loki are just some of the familiar characters that maintain an influence over us today through movies, TV series and comics to great fiction and epic poetry. This fabulous new book offers all the main tales with an introduction to the characters and the land that inspired them.

The great works of Persia contain some of the most beautiful, rich and diverse language in the literary world. The Shah Nameh, Masnavi-e Ma’navi, the Anvar-i Suhayli fables and more, rival Dante's Divine Comedy, India's Mahabharata and Sumeria's Epic of Gigamesh in their cultural impact, bringing to life the tales and myths of Ancient Persia.