Twilight Books

Folklore, Legends and Customs

Book Conditions
NEW = Brand New M = Mint – Perfect Condition F = Fine – Excellent condition but close inspection reveals evidence of ownership VG = Very good: shows slight signs of wear otherwise in excellent condition G = good: some wear such as foxing, pages browning, etc, otherwise complete, intact and clean. P = Poor: complete but may have loose pages, damaged cover or to be generally grubby – a reading copy only.

Abbreviations
Hb – Hardback Pb – Paperback BCA, SBC, CBC, RU, LC & Guild – Book Club Editions Dw – dustwrapper Ed – edited/edition Ex-lib – Ex Library copy f.e.p. – front end paper Illus – Illustrated Nd – no publishing date pp – printed pages Rpt – Repeat details Trans – translated o/w - otherwise

Alexander M. BRITISH FOLKLORE, MYTHS AND LEGENDS BCA 1982 Hb 540pp Well illus colour/b&w Dw G-VG £10. This book with its superb and unusual pictures will appeal both to folklore enthusiasts and to newcomers to the subject. 90 b&w illustrations 24 colour illustrations.

Bailey A. THE CAVES OF THE SUN - THE ORIGIN OF MYTHOLOGY Jonathan Cape 1997 1st GB Ed Hb 281pp Illus Dw VG £8. The author revives a long discarded nineteenth century theory that all myths, religions and folk tales can be traced to one source - the sun. He shows that solar cults were founded in order to influence and channel the life-giving forces of nature, and these can be identified in Neanderthal cave dwellings of 60,000 years ago. It was the purpose of Stonehenge, ascribed to astronomy or fertility worship, that first set the author off on his inquiry and led to his conclusion that all the evidence points in one direction. Why the single source idea of the nineteenth century should have become overlaid with spurious misinterpretations is a revealing commentary on the illusions spawned by complexity in the modern world.

Blundell N. MISTAKES AND DISASTERS - TITANIC TALES OF HUMAN ERROR AND DIVINE INTERVENTION Blitz 1992 HB 80pp Illus Picture Boards VG £5. Nothing grips the attention and shatters our comfortable view of life like the terrible calamities that so often seem to strike out of nowhere. They can be man-made or natural, but either way they remind us that nothing is certain or safe. In this book, you can read about the tragedies of the Titanic and the Challenger Space Shuttle, the devastation caused by Chernoybl and the war in Kuwait, the doomed flight of the Hindenburg and the horror of the earthquakes that have torn through San Francisco. This book is a reminder that whatever we may think, nothing can be taken for granted.

Campbell J. THE HERO'S JOURNEY - JOSEPH CAMPBELL ON HIS LIFE AND WORK Harper & Row Hb 1st Ed 1990 231pp Illus colour/b&w Dw VG-F £8. In this book Campbell tells his own story, from his Catholic upbringing and his early interest in American Indians, through Paris in the 1920s, and into the world of such modern mythmakers as George Lucas. Readers are shown the origins of Campbell's thought, his painstaking synthesis of mythology, religion, psychology, and art, and his encounters with many of this century's seminal thinkers. Campbell dealt with the essence of human nature through the ages and its struggle with the deep, imponderable "truths" that still mystify us - the fundamental questions about our origins and the meaning of life and death. These questions Campbell showed, are answered in every culture by mythic tales, the human way of making sense of the world. He reflects on subjects ranging from the origins and functions of myth, the role of the artist, and the need for ritual, to the ordeals of love and romance.

Campbell J. THE POWER OF THE MYTH Doubleday 1989 Pb 231pp Illus Larger format G-VG £6. Campbell explains how myths have a common, universal base in all cultures and all religions; how fundamental myths are to the human psyche; and how they help us to understand ourselves and our world.

Cornell J. WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? MYSTERIOUS ORIGINS OF ANCIENT PEOPLE Scholastic 1978 Pb 108pp G £3. The actual beginnings of humankind are still cloaked in mystery. Where did we come from? This book has fascinating facts it reveals traces of the first human life on earth; the remains of apelike creatures; the sacrifice of 500 young victims buried in a king's tomb; the savage struggle for legendary lost gold; the mystery of a 2000 year old murder. Learn how scientists have uncovered the secrets of our ancestors and revealed the roots of our past.

Crawley E. THE MYSTIC ROSE Spring Hb 1965 261pp Dw Pages browning o/w G £8. This book deals with social anthropology and most important of the psychological studies in primitive custom. The central theme is an exhaustive survey of primitive marriage rites, and customs is the state of "taboo" arising from evil agents and influences. Such taboos affect primitive thought and action at every level of personal and social life. They come into force at any time of private or communal crisis - at birth, puberty, in sickness and death, in famine and war and particularly affect two basic spheres of activity, eating and sexual intercourse. It is in the ceremonies and rituals surrounding marriage that the taboos are broken.

Crawley E. THE MYSTIC ROSE Spring Hb 1965 Hb 261pp Dw Some foxing pages (creases and nicks on front and back cover o/w G) £8.This book deals with social anthropology and most important of the psychological studies in primitive custom. The central theme is an exhaustive survey of primitive marriage rites, and customs is the state of "taboo" arising from evil agents and influences. Such taboos affect primitive thought and action at every level of personal and social life. They come into force at any time of private or communal crisis - at birth, puberty, in sickness and death, in famine and war and particularly affect two basic spheres of activity, eating and sexual intercourse. It is in the ceremonies and rituals surrounding marriage that the taboos are broken.

Fielding W.J. STRANGE CUSTOMS OF COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE Souvenir Hb 1961 1^st GB Ed 322pp Illus Green Boards VG+ £10. A fascinating tome exploring courtship, mating customs, marriage rituals, primitive practices, etc, worldwide.

Foss M. FOLK TALES OF THE BRITISH ISLES BCA 1977 1st Ed Hb 175pp Paintings Dw G+ £8. The stories in this volume are our own fairy tales rivaling, perhaps surpassing the sentimental collections of Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. Because the tellers of these tales were unsophisticated people with strong emotions the stories are often wild and fantastic and therefore perfectly suited to the art of Ken Kiff whose 30 full colour paintings and 25 charcoal drawings illustrate the text.

Gordon R.K. BEOWULF Unabridged Dover Thrift Editions 1992 Pb 57pp G+ £3. Beowulf first rescues the royal house of Denmark from two marauding monsters, then returns to rule his people for 50 years, ultimately losing his life in a battle to defend the Geats from a dragon's rampage. The poem combines mythical elements, Christian and pagan sensibilities, and actual historical figures and events in a narrative that ranges from vivid descriptions of fierce fighting and detailed portrayals of court life to earnest consideration of social and moral dilemmas. Originally written in Old English verse, it is presented here in an authoritative prose translation by R K Gordon.

Grant J. WINGED PHARAOH Methuen & Co Ltd 1953 Hb 308pp Some foxing pages o/w G-VG £6. The ancient Egyptians gave many names to their land. In this book, during the First Dynasty, this is called "Kam" and also "The Two Lands", Sumer the land of the forerunners of the Babylonians is called "Zuma"; and Crete, the centre of the Minoan civilization, is called "Minoas". There is no standard system for the spelling of Egyptian words and names. The emblems of Upper Egypt "The South", were the Lotus and the Reed, its crown, the White crown is shown on the title page. The Red crown was of "The North", whose emblems were the Papyrus and the Bee. Though horses are introduced into this book, the author is aware that no record has so far been found of the horse in Egypt prior to the XVIIIth Dynasty.

Green M. CURIOUS CUSTOMS AND FESTIVALS - A GUIDE TO LOCAL CUSTOMS AND FESTIVALS THROUGHOUT ENGLAND AND WALES Countryside Books 2001 Pb 124pp Illus Larger Format VG-F £5. Most of the counties of England and Wales have an ancient custom or traditional festival at some time during t98he year, many have more than one. This guide describes over one hundred events together with their recent history and their distant origins. The guide is alphabetically arranged and includes two lists of the events, one by county and the other in date order. Martin Green lives in Cornwall and has made a life-long study of Britain's customs.

Haining P. SUPERSTITIONS BCA 1980 Hb 175pp Well illus Dw G+ Contents VG £8. A history and contemporary examination of superstitions past and present, lavishly illustrated. A lot of people don't think they're superstitious, but they still wouldn't walk under a ladder, have anything to do with the number 13, or forget to throw a pinch of salt over their left shoulder after spilling some. Shakespeare believed that this 400 year old bed contributed to his success; Dr Samuel Johnson never walked on the cracks between paving stones; Mussolini had a lifelong fear of the Evil Eye and refused to sit beside anyone he suspected possessed this sinister influence; the Duke of Edinburgh always taps his polo helmet seven times before a game. As the author will show in this book, the Evil One has had a hand in many superstitions. Religion, naturally enough, has played a major part in their formation, but as these pages also show, not a few have evolved from painstaking observation of the elements. Indeed, there is much that is factual as well as fantastic in the lore of superstition, and the author has gone to considerable lengths to note and study those beliefs and to explain their origins and evolution. This book ranges across a vast spectrum of beliefs; it includes hundreds of different examples, and provides in words complemented by superb illustrations a most revealing survey of this endlessly fascinating subject.

Haining P. SUPERSTITIONS Treasure Press 1979 Hb 175pp Hb Well illus in b/w photographs G+ £6.50. Why do people carry a rabbit's foot, search for four-leaved clovers and avoid walking under ladders? Why did Shakespeare believe his four hundred year old bed contributed to his success and why does the Duke of Edinburgh tap his helmet seven times before a game of polo? Such 'peculiar' behaviour arises from the illogical belief in superstitions. In this lively and informative book, the author delves into the factual history behind the fantastic world of superstition. Whether stemming from religion, folklore or simple historical events, the development of our numerous mysterious fears, beliefs and concepts is traced through to the present day. Packed full with anecdotes, examples and explanations, and perfectly complemented by superb illustrations and photographs. Superstitions is an enthralling book that will fascinate even the most rational mind.

James P. THE SUNKEN KINGDOM Pimlico 1996 Pb 338pp Illus Dw VG+ £4. A review of all Atlantis theories together with the author's own ideas and researches concerning this mythical kingdom.

Jenkins E. THE MYSTERY OF KING ARTHUR Dorset 1990 Hb 215pp Well illus Dw G-VG £9. The Story of Arthur is one of the greatest legends in the world, and the figure of Arthur is perhaps the most important and enduring single character in Britain's heritage. But who was Arthur, this majestic figure shrouded in the mists of early Avalon? The authoress separates legend and history, presenting the rich literary tradition born of the historical ruler. The text is accompanied by numerous illustrations, many in colour, that present the image of Arthur as interpreted by artists over 14 centuries.

Jones G. KINGS, BEASTS AND HEROES Oxford University Press 1972 1st Ed Hb 162pp Illus Dw (slightly creased to edges o/w G) Contents VG £6. This book is an exploration of the story telling art of three famous works of literature, the old English verse epic Beowulf, the Welsh prose romance or wondertale Culhwch and Olwen; and the Norse legendary King Hrolf's Saga. It defines their nature and assesses their excellence, not only in the light of modern critical assumptions and the suffrage of today's reader but, so far as they are discoverable, the aims and expectations of their makers and first audiences. It is one of the book's main theses that the more clearly we understand what these works are, and were meant to be, the higher our regard for them will be. The author's inquiry into the story content of his three exemplars leads him briefly to myth and history and more lastingly to wondertale, heroic legend and legendary history. It is a rich and exciting book. It is illustrated with 21 pages of plates and three figures in the text.

Marinatos SP. SOME WORDS ABOUT THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS Athens 1971 2nd Ed Pb 46pp Illus G+ £5. This booklet is a reprint of a paper published by the author in 1950 in the Scientific Review Cretica Chronica (The Cretan Annals) IV (1950), pp 195-213. In 1932, the author undertook an excavation in Crete in order to show if Amnissos, a shore about 7 km, to the east of modern Herakleion, was indeed the harbour town and arsenal of Minos. Thera and its volcano were responsible for the presence of pumice at Amnissos and secondly that a great and widespread catastrophe befell Crete at this time. However, 2 years later, the author was able to connect and to amplify these two facts and to attribute them to the huge eruption of the volcano of Thera.

Matthews J. THE MYSTIC GRAIL Thorsons 1997 1st Ed Pb 91pp Profusely illus VG £5. The story of the grail has long cast its magic upon successive generations. Though the vessel itself has taken on many different manifestations - from a stone fallen from Heaven to a cauldron of Celtic antiquity and, most notably, the cup used by Christ to celebrate the Last Supper - it has consistently been associated with a magical quest and with the mystical link between the sacred and the secular. King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table pledged themselves to seek out this wonder. In the quest that followed they were to face countless trials, but were to find, through hardship, the spiritual dimension that lay at their own hearts - just as those who seek the truth may still do today. The Mystic Grail follows that quest, described by the medieval writers who gave us the story as we know it. It is a fascinating journey, illuminated by evocative paintings, drawings and woodcuts, which bring the very essence of this enduring legend to life.

McGregor P. THE MOON AND TWO MOUNTAINS Souvenir Hb 1966 1st Ed 238pp b&w photographs Pages lightly browning o/w G-VG £6.50. The myths, ritual and magic of Brazilian Spiritism. Pedro McGregor looks at sorcery, psychic surgery, mythology, religion, etc.

Potter C. TOUCH WOOD; AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF SUPERSTITION Guild 1990 Hb 263pp Dw VG £8. A fascinating A-Z of superstitions, talismans, charms, and symbols covering both meanings and origins.

Poignant R. OCEANIC MYTHOLOGY Hamlyn Hb 137pp lavishly illus in b/w Dw (price clipped but o/w VG) Contents VG £8. This book tells the story of the Polynesians, who lived in a well-ordered society under a hierarchy of priests and developed a sophisticated pantheon which yet reflected their characters as seafarers who adventured over great distances in their elaborate outrigger canoes; of the Micronesians and the wonderful tales which show the victory of man over a precarious existence; of Melanesia, an area of great contrasts both in the beliefs which found expression and the arts which gave them form; of Australia's aborigines, apparently simple tribes living at the dictates of place and season who nourished a system of myths surprising in its rich imagination and the range of its thought. Great gods, audacious heroes, the tricksters and monsters, the loved and the feared, sea and sky, sun and storm, desert and tropical heat - the myths are compact of these, and with great knowledge and a story-teller's skill Roslyn Poignant presents them here. The many strands are gathered together in the fascinating book, 24 pages in colour, over 100 b/w illustrations.

Quiller P. MERLIN AWAKENS Dragonfly Hb 1998 124pp b&w photographs Dw VG+ £5. The author reveals how the reappearance of the Magician affected his attitude towards reality itself. He also divulges what Merlin had to say about the changes that are taking place as the New Age begins. Disclosing startling new information concerning orbiting space debris, comets and the destruction of the dinosaurs, the author presents us with a challenging new approach to future life and living.

Rebsamen F. BEOWULF - A verse translated by Frederick Rebsamen Icon Editions Pb 1991 111pp (pages browning but o/w VG) £4. One assumes that no self-respecting college professor will want his students to be without it ... renditions in Modern English haven't taken the poetry of the original very seriously - but what a shock now that someone has! With the subtle rules of alliteration, stress and pause in place and with a translator bold enough to invent his own vigorous and imaginative compound nouns - the poem suddenly take flight and carries us to the highest mountains of achievement.

Rose H.J. A HANDBOOK OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY Methuen 1950 328pp Dw (Large piece missing to rear and smaller pieces along edges o/w G) Contents G £6. Scholarly work on the history of mythology - the beginnings of things, the children of Kronos, the younger Gods, legends of Greek lands, etc.

Senior M. MYTHS OF BRITAIN BCA 1979 1st Ed 232pp Well illustrated in colour/b&w Dw VG £9. The author unravels this field of British mythology and its complex structures for the general reader. Manuscripts and paintings of the events and legends, and the sites discussed are illustrated in over 80 evocative colour and black and white photographs, giving the reader a vivid impression of the background of Britain's mythology. The author was educated at Uppingham School and The Open University. He now farms in the North Wales, where he is active in environmental and local historical groups.

Shapiro M.S. & Hendricks R.A. A DICTIONARY OF MYTHOLOGIES Paladin Pb 1984 216pp Larger Format (pages browning) VG £5. This is the first concise single-volume work ever to list and describe the gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, good and evil spirits and important places of all world cultures. It includes nearly 2,000 entries on the myths of China, Japan, India, Egypt, Sumeria, Babylonia, Assyria, the Slavs, Persia, the lands of the Bible, Scandinavia, Iceland, the Celts, North Central and South America, Africa and Polynesia. The Dictionary is fully cross-referenced, so that the universal themes common to all myths are easily recognised, and the fascinating cultural differences easily compared. Throughout scholarship and accessible lay-out combine to make this book an essential and enjoyable work of reference.

Sykes E. WHO'S WHO OF NON-CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY Dent Pb 1993 235pp Larger format VG £5. An A-Z dictionary of over 2500 entries worldwide.

Various ENGLISH INNS Odhams Press Ltd Hb 1951 1st Ed 127pp Well Illustrated in black & white G-VG £9. The Inn has yielded over the centuries a crop of lasting benefits whose origin has perhaps never been acknowledged and is certainly now forgotten. Virtually all of the breweries had from their beginning, owned a few houses within horse-dray delivery distance. The Brewer had been a retailer as well as a manufacturer from time immemorial. The Inn has a great tradition to maintain and it is by learning to appreciate the inn, as our forefathers created it that we can make the surest advances in the future. Its function as a "rendezvous" has for centuries made it a yard-stick of social progress. The book covers Inns from London and the South-East, The Midlands, The North Country and The West Country.

Yeats W.B. THE CELTIC TWILIGHT - MYTH, FANTASY AND FOLKLORE Prism Press 1990 Pb Larger format 121pp VG £4.50. Although the author is renowned as one of the most famous poets of the 20th century, he was also a devoted exponent of the western mythical and magical traditions. He met with students of the occult in Dublin in the 1880s and was later introduced by his friend Charles Johnson to the Theosophical Society. He subsequently left the Theosophists and in 1890 was initiated as a ceremonial magician into the Isis-Urania Temple of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn - arguably the most influential esoteric order in the western magical tradition and for a time became its leader. This book is a special tribute to the memory of the author and is published fifty years after his death. It covers enchanting and mystical accounts of sorcerers, faeries, ghosts, and nature spirits,

Folklore - Legends & Customs	Archaeology	Mysterious Animals	Earth Mysteries	Paranormal and Ghosts	Mind Body and Spirit	Ufology	Occult