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Other names: Parragon Book Service Ltd
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Disambiguation notice: Parragon Press closed in 2018. Acquired by Cottage House Press
Do NOT combine "Parragon" with "Paragon".
Associated Place (for map): USA

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148 reviews

Nigellicus 1,849 reviews

Irish Fairy Tales Fairy Legends and Tradit by Parragon Books

I don't know who Barry Leonard is, but what I have discovered after picking this up randomly in a charity shop and finding myself intrigued and irritated enough to do a bit of digging, is that this is a cheap and shoddy reprint of a volume called Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by 18th century folklorist Thomas Crofton Croker. What's irritating is that the final section, Rocks and Stones is abruptly truncated, along with, according to the table of contents, an appendix show more featuring a letter from Walter Scott.

Anyway, this is not a collection of oral tales faithfully collated and transcribed, these are muscular, literary, earthy retellings, complete with character sketches, historical anecdotes, travelogues and touches of memoir, which might make a modern folklorist pull their hair out, but which make for entertaining reading. I'm not even sure how much Croker might be over-egging the Oirishness to any degree, since his affection and delight are obvious and his ear for a good story undeniable.

The most striking aspect of this collection, for me, was that the opening story takes place at Knockshegowna, which is about five miles away from where I'm sitting typing this review. In fact, many of the stories take place in Limerick, Cork and Tipperary with recognisable places and features of landscape, making the whole thing both well-grounded and peculiarly evocative. Again, I suspect a certain amount of caricature, however familiar and affectionate, but the various social milieu and their concerns seem broadly accurate.

The stories themselves embed aspects of the oral tradition in literary constructions to highly readable and often comic effect. The tale of the Banshee of the McCarthy's is a highlight with its grand gothic bravura, and there's a hilarious ballad of a headless coach barreling through Cork. On the whole recommended, with the proviso that they are literary retellings rather than 'pure' folklore. But now I have to go see if I can find a complete edition to find out what the heck Walter Scott had to say for himself. show less

Mar 11, 2025

YESterNOw 108 reviews

Atlas Of Military History: From Antiquity To The Present Day by Parragon Books

This is quite an astonishing little book, 300+ pages with extra-tiny type (the way I like it) and excellently-chosen photos, maps, and various graphics. All for only 4 bucks new at Burke's (yes, the clothing & decor store). It doesn't place too much of an emphasis on WWI and WWII like most such books do. In only 2 pages, it summed up the Korean War way more lucidly than any other source I'd ever read before. An essential purchase for the budding military history / geopolitics geek.

Mar 2, 20163 other reviews

Xleptodactylous 304 reviews

Cathedrals by Parragon Books

My atheism cannot hold back the joy I feel about architecture of a godly nature. Though I wish it were not so, their ancient greed has given us some of the most beautiful things to look at. Their intrinsic need for affirmation, as they bribe the heathens in with their gothic style, makes them appear nothing but human.

Apr 7, 20151 other review

19vatermit64 72 reviews

The Irish Pub by Parragon Books

This was a book I believe I purchased at Half Price Books. We only had one cookbook to use for last year's St. Patrick's Day Feast, and so I added this one to the library. It follows the same format as other 'pub food' cookbooks, with a section on appetizers and snacks, entrees, vegetables and side dishes, and desserts and drinks. There are several bread and cake recipes. I was looking for a vegetable dish which did not contain potatoes, turnips, or parsnips; basically, I wanted to use what show more we had at hand. We struck gold with 'Sticky Carrots with Whiskey & Ginger Glaze.' It might have helped that I had purchased a bottle of Jameson's Irish Whiskey for the occasion. Regardless, the carrots were one of the hits of our dinner.

Like all other foreign cookbooks, there are pictures that make me want to travel there. This is one of the books I shall refer to in the future when I want to make something Irish for dinner. show less

Mar 23, 2014

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