Confusion on what to collect

I already saw the old thread about this, but still have questions. I am now trying to collect the Myths and Legends set of books, but a little confused as to content. Is the Norse Myths, Icelandic Sagas, and Legend of the Ring basically the same tales? All three are Norse related so wondering which one I should get or which is the most complete and well written. I rather stay within the set of Myths and Legends series:

Irish Myths and Legends (looks different but I gather it is still part of this series)
Myths and Legends Far East
Myths and Legends India
Myths and Legends Russia (have this)
Celtic Myths and Legends (have this)

Are these suppose to be one group set, am I missing any from this series that are under a different name or format? I am not interested in Arthur legends, Legend of the Grail right now, I just want to match any books to the Myths and Legends. Thanks for any help.

Norse Myths are Scandinavian myths, and the book is not part of the Myths and Legends series.
Icelandic Sagas are legendary histories of the early days of the Icelandic people, transcribed from oral histories about 1000 years ago.
Legends of the Ring are Germanic myths and contain elements of pagan religious myth (the gods, the giants and so on) and elements of mythologised Germanic history.

There'll be some overlap between the Irish Myths and Legends and the Celtic Myths and Legends.

It's tricky to decide exactly where the series starts and ends. It seemed to me that the series of Classical works from the early 90's (Herodotus, Thucydides, but also Homer, Dryden's version of the Aeneid, Metamorphoses) turned into the Myths and Legends series, so you may want to include the volumes that aren't works of history.

This makes it much more clear and at least I can save a little bit of money, looks like Legends of the Ring may be something I need to find. Thank you for the help and information on earlier titles to look out for.

> 3

Glad I could help.

>1 Comatoes: Which old thread did you read? There are quite a few more in the myths & legends series than you have listed and BorisG and LucasTrask have done quite comprehensive lists in an earlier thread (see here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/35059).

Am I right to guess you are just interested in those that were bound in the 10” x 6¾” quarter leather format? (They do look like a set when shelved together.)

If so, I have these and can confirm they are part of this binding 'set' (many are now out of print, but you indicated you were interested in earlier titles to look out for, and FS seem to be re-releasing lots of older titles at the moment):

Celtic Myths and Legends
The Icelandic Sagas I
The Icelandic Sagas II
Legends of the Ring (Germanic myths)
Legends of Ancient Rome
Legends of the Grail
The Greek Myths (the single volume version, not the 2 volume set)
British Myths and Legends
Legends of King Arthur (the single volume version, not the 3 volume set)
Myths and Legends of India
Myths and Legends of the Ancient Near East
East of the Sun, West of the Moon (Norwegian Folk Tales)
Epics of the Middle Ages
The Arabian Nights

Also in the same size and quarter binding, but with a slightly different spine design (a recent release, so maybe they will be changing the design from now on?):

Irish Myths & Legends

I also shelve the two Hawthorn books with my myths series since they are the same size and contain rewritings of myths for children (but they are not really part of the same set as they have lovely decorative bindings):

Tanglewood Tales
A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls

And several in the FS Classical Literature series are also bound in a matching format (I don't have the starred versions, but have been told they match):

The Iliad
The Odyssey
Ovid - Metamorphoses
Virgil - The Aeneid
Herodotus - Histories *
Thucydides - The Peloponesian War *

Others that have been release by FS as part of their myths & legends series but are not bound in the 10" x 6¾” format include:

Folk Tales of the British Isles
Irish Fairy and Folk Tales
King Arthur: History & Legend
The History of the Kings of Britain
The Norse Myths
Laxdaela Saga (Icelandic myths)

>5 skullduggery:

A lot of work there! I'd assumed Comatoes had access to all that data from the earlier list.

The title "Myths and Legends", though, is really just a rough-and-ready subject grouping in the Prospectus, and these subject groupings can change from year to year - that's why it can be difficult to say exactly what's in and out of a group.

A few further points:

Metamorphoses and The Odyssey both had production problems reported; basically the ink on the spine never dried properly. A reprint of The Odyssey in the "Folio 50" had a cloth spine.

Laxdaela Saga is reprinted in one of the Icelandic Sagas volumes.

It might be worth pointing out that King Arthur: History and Legend is non-fiction.

"Folk Tales of the British Isles" includes versions of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Kevin Crossley-Holland and Keith Harrison, respectively. Different versions by Seamus Heaney and Simon Armitage were more recently published as separate volumes, of course. The stories of King Arthur in this book obviously overlap with material in the Arthur and Grail volumes. The Four Branches of the Mabinogi is in here, as well as in the "Celtic Myths and Legends".

Each book of the the 6-volume Arabian Nights has the same dimensions as the Myth and Legends books but the binding design is different (all cloth).

The Fairy Books are also the same dimensions and there is some overlap in material.

Edited to add: by "overlap of material" I mean stories, not necessarily the same text.

> 7

Myths and Legends of the Ancient Near East ("Myths of the Near East" on the spine).

>7 EclecticIndulgence: thanks, i fixed it :)

No, Völsungs is not part of it. The saga's "Germanic cousin", Nibelungenlied, is in the Legends of the Ring.

You can read about the FS and LE publications on the Icelandic Sagas thread. The link goes to my post on the contents of the FS Icelandic Sagas.

This is on e-bay today for those interested !

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Myths-and-Legends-Series-2005-UK-Folio-Society-Edition...

>13 N11284:
I think you should be able to find each of those volumes individually for cheaper than that set.

Volsung Saga is also in the Legends of the Ring volume.

As a fan of the myths series of books, I have followed this and its related threads with interest. I have most of the volumes listed by >5 skullduggery:, but would be interested in some information about a few volumes I don't have.

Celtic Myths and Legends. I have Irish Myths and Legends. Can anyone let me know what the overlap between the two is?

Epics of the Middle Ages. Which epics are included and which versions?

Also, is it worth considering getting the Legends of the Grail given the overlap with British Myths and Legends and Legends of King Arthur? I understand from an earlier thread that some of the translations are even the same. I would welcome the thoughts of someone who already has both.

Thanks!

> 16
I used to worry about duplication and overlap in my library too, but then I just gave up and gave in and decided I would collect a series to complete the series and not worry so much about overlap. Per my inquiry to the FS directly, Irish Myths and Legends cover some of, but not all, the same ground as Celtic Myths and Legends but what sets it apart is the famed interpretation by Lady Gregory in the Iritsh Myths volume. I cannot comment on your other questions as I'm not at home at the moment to review table of contents.

> 16

Epics of the Middle Ages

Copyright page credit reads "Introduction, selection and adaptation copyright Richard Barber 2005"

The Song of Roland (translated by D.D.R. Owen 1990)
The Song of William (William of Orange and Raoul of Cambrai translated by Michael Newth 2004)
Raoul of Cambrai (as above)
The Cid (The Poem of the Cid translated by Rita Hamilton and Janet Perry 1975)
The Deeds of the Norman People (based on The History of the Norman People: Wace's Roman de Rou, translated by Glyn S. Burgess 2004)
The Bruce (based on John Barbour, The Bruce, translated by George Eyre-Todd 1907)
Godfrey of Boulogne (based on William Caxton, Godeffroy of Boloyne, ed. Mary Noyes Colvin 1893)

(Details from the Acknowledgements page.)

Illustrations by John Vernon Lord