Folio Archives 74: The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves 2003
Talk Folio Society Devotees
Join LibraryThing to post.
This topic is currently marked as "dormant"—the last message is more than 90 days old. You can revive it by posting a reply.
1wcarter
The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves 2003
The tale of Jason and the Argonauts is one of the adventures tales learnt by most young men, as a story of heroism and bravery. Most versions of the story are just a superficial overview, but this is the full and complete story.
In 1944, Robert Graves combined many different sources (the main one being the “Argonautica” written by Apollonius of Rhodes in the 3rd.C BC) and stories about the Argonauts and their classic journey into a single well connected narrative.
The first one third of the story I found a bit boring as it covers the justification for the voyage, innumerable palace intrigues and complex religious rites, and the recruitment of the Argonauts to crew the “Argo”. On the other hand, the following two-thirds of the book is a rollicking story of daring deeds, battles, mysticism, enchantment, sexual conquests, exploration and adventure. The giant Hercules features prominently in many of the earlier tales before he leaves the expedition to find his lost boy lover.
The Argonauts traveled from eastern Greece, through the Aegean Sea and the Bosphorus to the Black Sea, then to its far eastern shore where the Kingdom of Colchis (modern Georgia) was located. There the golden fleece, and the guardian priestess and king’s daughter Medea, were taken and returned by an extraordinarily circuitous route to the fleece’s original home in Greece.
More adventures were encountered on the return, with Jason, Medea and the golden fleece traveling along the Danube and its tributaries to Istria (now part of Slovenia) at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, before rejoining the “Argo” and voyaging home via Corfu, Sicily, Libya and Crete.
The story is a fable, but there may be a grain of truth behind it, as there were Greek colonies in the eastern Black Sea in 500BC, and many of the royal characters can be historically identified. The golden fleece is a reality. In streams where alluvial gold was found, a sheep’s fleece was pegged to the bottom of the stream and left for months. When retrieved, the fleece had captured the specks of gold that had washed over it, while lighter particles were washed on.
The coastal city of Batumi in Georgia has a statue of Medea holding the golden fleece, and the fable is a favourite for children in that country.
The large 433 page book has an introduction by Lawrence Norfolk and an author’s introduction. There are 15 full colour illustrations by Grahame Baker, and a genealogical table of the principle characters. It is bound in blue-green cloth blocked with a gilt and black design. The slipcase is plain green and 26x17cm. The front endpaper has a map of the outward voyage, and the back endpaper a map of the homeward journey, but these are the main weakness of the book, as the maps are printed in black ink on a dark green background and very difficult to read as a result.
Front endpaper
Back endpaper
Family tree of the Aeolians
Statue of Medea and the golden fleece in Batumi, Georgia
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
The tale of Jason and the Argonauts is one of the adventures tales learnt by most young men, as a story of heroism and bravery. Most versions of the story are just a superficial overview, but this is the full and complete story.
In 1944, Robert Graves combined many different sources (the main one being the “Argonautica” written by Apollonius of Rhodes in the 3rd.C BC) and stories about the Argonauts and their classic journey into a single well connected narrative.
The first one third of the story I found a bit boring as it covers the justification for the voyage, innumerable palace intrigues and complex religious rites, and the recruitment of the Argonauts to crew the “Argo”. On the other hand, the following two-thirds of the book is a rollicking story of daring deeds, battles, mysticism, enchantment, sexual conquests, exploration and adventure. The giant Hercules features prominently in many of the earlier tales before he leaves the expedition to find his lost boy lover.
The Argonauts traveled from eastern Greece, through the Aegean Sea and the Bosphorus to the Black Sea, then to its far eastern shore where the Kingdom of Colchis (modern Georgia) was located. There the golden fleece, and the guardian priestess and king’s daughter Medea, were taken and returned by an extraordinarily circuitous route to the fleece’s original home in Greece.
More adventures were encountered on the return, with Jason, Medea and the golden fleece traveling along the Danube and its tributaries to Istria (now part of Slovenia) at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, before rejoining the “Argo” and voyaging home via Corfu, Sicily, Libya and Crete.
The story is a fable, but there may be a grain of truth behind it, as there were Greek colonies in the eastern Black Sea in 500BC, and many of the royal characters can be historically identified. The golden fleece is a reality. In streams where alluvial gold was found, a sheep’s fleece was pegged to the bottom of the stream and left for months. When retrieved, the fleece had captured the specks of gold that had washed over it, while lighter particles were washed on.
The coastal city of Batumi in Georgia has a statue of Medea holding the golden fleece, and the fable is a favourite for children in that country.
The large 433 page book has an introduction by Lawrence Norfolk and an author’s introduction. There are 15 full colour illustrations by Grahame Baker, and a genealogical table of the principle characters. It is bound in blue-green cloth blocked with a gilt and black design. The slipcase is plain green and 26x17cm. The front endpaper has a map of the outward voyage, and the back endpaper a map of the homeward journey, but these are the main weakness of the book, as the maps are printed in black ink on a dark green background and very difficult to read as a result.
Front endpaper
Back endpaper
Family tree of the Aeolians
Statue of Medea and the golden fleece in Batumi, Georgia
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2boldface
Warwick, I have a first printing and the endpapers are pale blue and much easier to read. Why on earth they changed them for dark green in the second printing is beyond me.
3wcarter
>2 boldface:
Thats interesting. A warning to potential purchasers, seek out a first printing so you can read the map clearly.
Thats interesting. A warning to potential purchasers, seek out a first printing so you can read the map clearly.
4folio_books
>1 wcarter:
Fascinating background information, Warwick - thank you.
>2 boldface: I have a first printing and the endpapers are pale blue and much easier to read.
Yes, I can confirm mine's the same. And the text block is still bright and clear after fifteen years, as are the illustrations.
Fascinating background information, Warwick - thank you.
>2 boldface: I have a first printing and the endpapers are pale blue and much easier to read.
Yes, I can confirm mine's the same. And the text block is still bright and clear after fifteen years, as are the illustrations.
5harvestRoad
How does it fair against the voyage of argo, story and readability wise?
6kdweber
Yes, I have the first printing! I have 6 FS books by Robert Graves:
I Claudius
Claudius the God
The Greek Myths (single volume edition)
The Golden Fleece
The Siege and Fall of Troy
The Twelve Caesars (translator)
How many Grave's books has the Folio Society published?
I Claudius
Claudius the God
The Greek Myths (single volume edition)
The Golden Fleece
The Siege and Fall of Troy
The Twelve Caesars (translator)
How many Grave's books has the Folio Society published?
7elladan0891
>6 kdweber:
FS also published:
- his translation of The Golden Ass (1960)
- Count Belisarius (2010)
- his excellent memoir Goodbye To All That (in print for at least a couple of decades starting in 1980 or 1981 and going through multiple prints into 2000s; binding modified slightly in the 90s)
- Love Poems (1990), one of the Fine Press series
Limited Editions Club also published a very nice edition of his selected Poems in 1980, usually can be obtained pretty cheaply.
FS also published:
- his translation of The Golden Ass (1960)
- Count Belisarius (2010)
- his excellent memoir Goodbye To All That (in print for at least a couple of decades starting in 1980 or 1981 and going through multiple prints into 2000s; binding modified slightly in the 90s)
- Love Poems (1990), one of the Fine Press series
Limited Editions Club also published a very nice edition of his selected Poems in 1980, usually can be obtained pretty cheaply.
8bookfair_e
>6 kdweber:
The Long Weekend: A Social History of Great Britain 1918-1939 by Robert Graves and Alan Hodge. 2009.
The Long Weekend: A Social History of Great Britain 1918-1939 by Robert Graves and Alan Hodge. 2009.
