The Macmillan Collection of Myths and Legends

A beautiful hardback treasury, containing over forty myths and legends from around the world. The perfect gift for mythology lovers of all ages. 

This glorious collection contains incredible stories from Greek and Norse mythology, such as Theseus and the Minotaur and Ragnaroek, and famous British legends including The Sword in the Stone, alongside lesser known stories. Bringing together amazing stories from across the world, there are tales of spirits from Spain, fish Gods from China, an Australian Aboriginal frog that drank up all of the water in the world, and many more. 

Fully illustrated throughout, with beautiful colour and line-work images from iconic Golden Age illustrators, including Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane and Warwick Goble. A sumptuous 352 page gift hardback, complete with a foiled cut-through cover, foiled edges and a ribbon marker, The Macmillan Collection of Myths and Legends is a book to share and treasure.

---

Around this time last year, Macmillan published the Fairy Tales Collection. I didn't realise at the time that it was part of a planned series, and I would have said there was no way another book could live up to the standard set by that one. I'm delighted to be proven wrong by this new volume.

Divided into six sections - Beginnings and Endings, Gods and Goddesses, Heroes and Monsters, Magic, The Elements, and Romance - with a foreward by expert Michael Morpurgo and a brief history of Macmillan, this book is perhaps just a little older than the first one, with slightly more complex stories. As with the first volume, there are illustrations drawn from across Macmillan's expansive library, and the mix of styles adds greatly to the reading experience. Something I noted in the last book is that the stories didn't always say where they're from, but I'm pleased to note that's been fixed this time around; every myth is credited to a country or group, which would make it much easier to look up more from the same area if one was inclined to look for more.

I don't always include images, but in this case I can't help it:

This is such a fantastically rich book in every aspect; gilted edges, place ribbon, decorated hard cover, and such a wonderful mix of stories inside. I can't wait to suggest this to people looking for that perfect Christmas gift, and I'm so excited to see what Macmillan come up with next year.

The Macmillan Collection of Myths and Legends is available now. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.