Till Eulenspiegel

Erich Kästner, author of the classic children's novel, Emil and the Detectives, here presents twelve tales relating the exploits of Till Eulenspiegel ("owl mirror"), the legendary German folk-hero whose mischievous pranks were legion. Believed to have his origins in the medieval tale-cycles of the Middle Low German tradition, this trickster figure is not as well known in English-speaking countries, as he is in Germany and the Netherlands. This particular edition was originally published in 1938, and translated into English in 1957. Here the reader will learn:

How Till Eulenspiegel Was Baptized Three Times, which demonstrates how our hero's adventures began (like Hermes) in his infancy...

How Till Eulenspiegel Walked on a Rope, in which a show more teenage Till makes an exhibition of himself, and pays back the scornful villagers by playing a trick...

How Till Eulenspiegel Slept in a Beehive, in which our hero tricks two thieves into fighting each other, when they steal the beehive in which he is sleeping...

How Till Eulenspiegel Cured the Sick, in which the wily Till convinces the director of the Hospital of the Holy Ghost in Nuremberg to give him two hundred gulden in exchange for "healing" all the inmates...

How Till Eulenspiegel Baked Owls and Pussycats, which follows Till's short-lived apprenticeship to a Braunschweig baker...

How Till Eulenspiegel Became a Lookout, in which the irrepressible Till is more interested in getting fed, than in watching for the enemies of the Count of Anhalt...

How Till Eulenspiegel Bought Land, in which Till passes safely through the lands of the Duke of Luneberg, despite being threatened with the gallows, should he ever come that way again...

How Till Eulenspiegel Taught a Donkey to Read, in which Till fools the academics of Erfurt, who imagined that they could trick him!

How Till Eulenspiegel Delivered a Lecture to the Tailors, in which our hero delivers a sound (though unnecessary) piece of advice to the tailors of Rostock, creating havoc in the process...

How the Wind Blew Away Three Tailors' Helpers, in which Till avenges himself on a group of tailors' assistants in Brandenburg, who dared to mock him...

How Till Eulenspiegel Cheated the Furriers, in which Till, angry that none of the furriers of Leipzig will employ him, sells a cat - sewn up in rabbit's fur - to one of them...

And finally, How Till Eulenspiegel Bought Up the Milk, in which Till creates havoc for the milk-women of Bremen.

These amusing stories are sure to win a giggle or two from young readers, who will appreciate Till's irreverent approach to authority. Walter Trier's illustrations, both color plates and black & white drawings, accentuate the humor. Well worth the time, if the reader can find an edition of this (sadly) out-of-print title! show less

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