Book~The Enchanted World "Legends of Valor" Vintage 1984 Hardcover

Description: The Enchanted World was a series of twenty-one books (OCLC 11854843) published in the time period 1984-1987. Each book focused on different aspects of mythology, fairy tales or folklore, and all were released by Time Life Books. Their overall editor was Ellen Phillips and their primary consultant was Tristram Potter Coffin, a Guggenheim Fellowship Award-winning University of Pennsylvania Professor Emeritus of English. Overview:The volumes in the series were known for their art and the extensive research used in their by their respective authors retold stories, and were executed as gold imprinted, cloth bound hardcover books, with a glued-on cover illustration. When a series subscription was taken out, a set of gypsy fortune telling cards was received as a bonus gift, becoming a collectible in its own right in recent years. The books often overlap; for example, while King Arthur and his knights only have one book completely devoted to them, Fall of Camelot, they often appear in other books. Half of Legends of Valor is about them, and they appear in Wizards and Witches, Fairies and Elves, Dwarfs, Spells and Bindings, and Giants and Ogres. A unique part of the series was that its books were written as stories, taking place from an "in-universe" perspective, presenting its subjects as real people, places, and things. Related to such things having once been real, a common thread through several of them was its documentation of the alleged decline of magical things from "when the world was young" to the modern day. The subjects—dragons, dwarfs, giants—are presented as being potent and strong at the dawn of time, but magical creatures grow weaker and eventually disappear as humans spread and demystify the world, though there is always the promise that the magic will return once again. Christendom is often related to the decline. Though The Enchanted World describes it as humankind's greatest shield against those magics and beings of magic that would prove hostile to it, it proved detrimental even to good magic as people ceased to believe in the old gods in favor of Christ. According to the series, this was because Christianity was centered around a god of reason and that it promised a clearly defined universe of order and stability, a universe where there could be only one god. Magic could hardly thrive under such circumstances. It continued to exist either in opposition to Christianity or, more often, in connection to in-between places and in-between things. The series states that magic had always had a strong connection to things that were neither one thing nor another because as neither one thing nor another, such things could escape definition and be more than what they appeared. The original, first-printing American source publications have received two ISBNs (the second one usually eight numbers higher), but the reason for this is unclear. The popularity of the Enchanted World series, resulting in multiple reprint runs for most of the individual titles, led to the subsequent follow-up publication of the 1987-91 Mysteries of the Unknown series. International editions:Despite the universal appeal of the subject matter, the series has not been widely translated into other languages, though French, German, and Dutch-language editions are known to have been near-concurrently released by the local Amsterdam "Time-Life Books [International] BV" branch. Truncated, the Dutch-language edition (as "Het Rijk der Fabelen", which literally translates as "The Realm of Fables"), did not see the last eight volumes in translation – most likely because of disappointing sales. On the other hand, it was standard issued with a dust jacket, contrary to the English, and other-language editions, which were normally issued without one for individual title bookstore sales, whereas series subscribers were issued with one. The same branch was also responsible for the similarly released French, German and UK English-language editions, of which the latter were also intended for all territories outside the USA/Canada and indistinguishable from the US source publications, save for their ISBNs and the use of the British versus the American spelling. Unlike their Dutch counterpart, the French and German-language series editions were completed in their entirety as "Les mondes enchantés" and "Verzauberte Welten" ("Enchanted Worlds" – plural in both cases) respectively. Both editions were Amsterdam branch publications and while the French edition did not, the German edition carried Dutch ISBNs, confusingly the very same ones as the Dutch-language counterparts if there were any. Contrary to the French and Dutch editions though, which only saw one print run each, but like in the USA, the series was a popular one in the German-speaking territories, enjoying multiple reprints; of the first title, "Zauberer und Hexen", for example, is known that there have been at least five printings. The European edition releases lagged only slightly behind the release of the US source publications. A decade after the publication of the series by Time Life, the French, Dutch, and first-edition German-language editions were joined by two other, latter-day foreign language editions. The first concerned the 1995 second-edition German-language hardcover without a dust jacket release, licensed to Augsburg-based publisher Weltbild Verlag [de], carrying the series title "Die geheimnisvolle Welt der Mythen und Sagen" ("The mysterious world of myths and sagas") and featuring deviant cover art. Moscow-based publisher Terra followed suit one year later with a licensed Russian-language first edition, entitled "Зачарованный мир" ("Zacharovannyĭ mir"), a literal translation of the series title. This edition was published in its entirety, contrary to both the Dutch-language edition as well as the German second-edition release, which ran for only eight volumes. Apart from these two foreign language licensed editions, the UK too saw a second-edition in 2003-2005, licensed to London publisher Caxton Press. As with the German second-edition release, this British second-edition was only a partial reprint of the series (only six second-edition titles are known), likewise featuring deviant cover art without a dust jacket. The Series:In order of publication; the UK and German-language editions have their first-edition ISBN listed first, followed by the second-edition ISBN where applicable: Legends of Valor: (1984, ISBN 0809452200, 0809452219)Written by Brendan Lehane, Legends of Valor centers primarily on Cúchulainn and the world of the Ulster Cycle, and later on King Arthur and the Matter of Britain. Other heroes briefly mentioned are Perseus, Sigurd, and Roland from Greek myth, Volsunga saga, and the Matter of France/Song of Roland, respectively. In detailing the life of Cuchulain, Lehane writes that in the early world, tribes needed champions to protect them and lead them in battle. The king could not risk his life, so in his place a hero fought and were the jewels in a king's crown. It emphasizes that heroes were often born to gods and mortal Queens—it was not given to peasants to sire or spawn heroes. Such men were warriors and were expected to be fierce and savage. Their lives were short, bound to vows of vengeance and the "cruel demands of honor." The life of Irish hero Cuchulain is retold, and with it, how while there were other men of the Red Branch, he proved himself the greatest champion of Conchobar mac Nessa, King of Ulster. Cuchulain, the son of Lugh fought bravely for his king and became a warrior without peer, although he was killed by Maeve who tricked him into breaking his various vows or geis. After Cuculain's death, Ireland was plunged into chaos, though later, as the Fenian cycle told, order was restored. Leading men milder and more civilized, but just as valiant, High King Cormac Mac Art and his Fianna protected Ireland from invasion. Even there conflicting vows could spell doom as when Grianne betrayed her husband the king by sleeping with his champion Diarmuid. The rest of the story centers on the "Brotherhood of the Round Table." Heroes still lived but they were different from their forebears, most notably in the moralizing effects of chivalry. A knight was expected to be kind to women, to show mercy to defeated foes, and to refuse no plea for help. Horses also gave men greater mobility. Under the salvific influence of Christianity, Arthur and his men were the finest heroes in all Christendom and beyond. Despite the Christian kingdom of Camelot being at peace, such men were needed as giants, dragons, and witches made Britain a place of wonder and danger. Some magical beings, such as the Lady of the Lake, proved friends. However, those who would harm the innocent were kept at bay due to Arthur's Knights, chief among them Lancelot, the Lady's son. Unfortunately, Lancelot's love for Guinevere, Arthur's Queen, would bring down Camelot which was already grievously exhausted by the Grail Quest. In searching for the Holy Grail, the Knights of the Round Table did prove themselves the very best heroes of all times but the loss of so many good men in the quest crippled Camelot and left it vulnerable to decay from within. Arthur's bastard son Mordred, in the end, destroyed the perfect world his father tried to create, though it is promised that one day, Arthur will return. The book contains 143 pages and is divided into the following four chapters, which each contain sub-chapters. Contents: (illustrated by Alicia Austin)Chapter One: Lords of the Chariot and the Spear (illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert,[6] Leo and Diane Dillon) (pg.6)A Champion's Schooling in Another World (pg.34)Chapter Two: The Cruel Demands of Honor (illustrated by John Jude Palencar) (pg.42)Treachery of the Nibelungs (pg.64)Chapter Three: Brotherhood of the Round Table (pg.74)Warriors in a World of Wonders (pg.100)Chapter Four: The Noblest Quest of All (pg.108)The Great King's Final Battle (illustrated by John Mulcaster Carrick) (pg.132)Index: (illustrated by Alicia Austin)UK edition: "Legends of Valour" (1985, ISBN 0705408841)Dutch edition: "Heldensagen" (1985, ISBN 9061828554)German edition: "Heldensagen" (1985, 1995, ISBN 9061828554, 3896040081); the only second-edition title to carry the original cover illustrationFrench edition: "Légendes chevaleresques" (1985, ISBN 2734403102)Russian edition: "Legendy doblesti" (1996, ISBN 5300007927) The Enchanted World was a series of twenty-one books (OCLC 11854843) published in the time period 1984-1987. Each book focused on different aspects of mythology, fairy tales or folklore, and all were released by Time Life Books. Their overall editor was Ellen Phillips and their primary consultant was Tristram Potter Coffin, a Guggenheim Fellowship Award-winning University of Pennsylvania Professor Emeritus of English. Overview:The volumes in the series were known for their art and the extensive research used in their by their respective authors retold stories, and were executed as gold imprinted, cloth bound hardcover books, with a glued-on cover illustration. When a series subscription was taken out, a set of gypsy fortune telling cards was received as a bonus gift, becoming a collectible in its own right in recent years. The books often overlap; for example, while King Arthur and his knights only have one book completely devoted to them, Fall of Camelot, they often appear in other books. Half of Legends of Valor is about them, and they appear in Wizards and Witches, Fairies and Elves, Dwarfs, Spells and Bindings, and Giants and Ogres. A unique part of the series was that its books were written as stories, taking place from an "in-universe" perspective, presenting its subjects as real people, places, and things. Related to such things having once been real, a common thread through several of them was its documentation of the alleged decline of magical things from "when the world was young" to the modern day. The subjects—dragons, dwarfs, giants—are presented as being potent and strong at the dawn of time, but magical creatures grow weaker and eventually disappear as humans spread and demystify the world, though there is always the promise that the magic will return once again. Christendom is often related to the decline. Though The Enchanted World describes it as humankind's greatest shield against those magics and beings of magic that would prove hostile to it, it proved detrimental even to good magic as people ceased to believe in the old gods in favor of Christ. According to the series, this was because Christianity was centered around a god of reason and that it promised a clearly defined universe of order and stability, a universe where there could be only one god. Magic could hardly thrive under such circumstances. It continued to exist either in opposition to Christianity or, more often, in connection to in-between places and in-between things. The series states that magic had always had a strong connection to things that were neither one thing nor another because as neither one thing nor another, such things could escape definition and be more than what they appeared. The original, first-printing American source publications have received two ISBNs (the second one usually eight numbers higher), but the reason for this is unclear. The popularity of the Enchanted World series, resulting in multiple reprint runs for most of the individual titles, led to the subsequent follow-up publication of the 1987-91 Mysteries of the Unknown series. International editions:Despite the universal appeal of the subject matter, the series has not been widely translated into other languages, though French, German, and Dutch-language editions are known to have been near-concurrently released by the local Amsterdam "Time-Life Books [International] BV" branch. Truncated, the Dutch-language edition (as "Het Rijk der Fabelen", which literally translates as "The Realm of Fables"), did not see the last eight volumes in translation – most likely because of disappointing sales. On the other hand, it was standard issued with a dust jacket, contrary to the English, and other-language editions, which were normally issued without one for individual title bookstore sales, whereas series subscribers were issued with one. The same branch was also responsible for the similarly released French, German and UK English-language editions, of which the latter were also intended for all territories outside the USA/Canada and indistinguishable from the US source publications, save for their ISBNs and the use of the British versus the American spelling. Unlike their Dutch counterpart, the French and German-language series editions were completed in their entirety as "Les mondes enchantés" and "Verzauberte Welten" ("Enchanted Worlds" – plural in both cases) respectively. Both editions were Amsterdam branch publications and while the French edition did not, the German edition carried Dutch ISBNs, confusingly the very same ones as the Dutch-language counterparts if there were any. Contrary to the French and Dutch editions though, which only saw one print run each, but like in the USA, the series was a popular one in the German-speaking territories, enjoying multiple reprints; of the first title, "Zauberer und Hexen", for example, is known that there have been at least five printings. The European edition releases lagged only slightly behind the release of the US source publications. A decade after the publication of the series by Time Life, the French, Dutch, and first-edition German-language editions were joined by two other, latter-day foreign language editions. The first concerned the 1995 second-edition German-language hardcover without a dust jacket release, licensed to Augsburg-based publisher Weltbild Verlag [de], carrying the series title "Die geheimnisvolle Welt der Mythen und Sagen" ("The mysterious world of myths and sagas") and featuring deviant cover art. Moscow-based publisher Terra followed suit one year later with a licensed Russian-language first edition, entitled "Зачарованный мир" ("Zacharovannyĭ mir"), a literal translation of the series title. This edition was published in its entirety, contrary to both the Dutch-language edition as well as the German second-edition release, which ran for only eight volumes. Apart from these two foreign language licensed editions, the UK too saw a second-edition in 2003-2005, licensed to London publisher Caxton Press. As with the German second-edition release, this British second-edition was only a partial reprint of the series (only six second-edition titles are known), likewise featuring deviant cover art without a dust jacket. The Series:In order of publication; the UK and German-language editions have their first-edition ISBN listed first, followed by the second-edition ISBN where applicable: Magical Beasts: (1985, ISBN 0809452294, 0809452308)Magical Beasts opens with a recounting of how early in humanity's existence the world was locked in an Ice Age. Humans feared the animals and worshipped the cave bear. Time passed and the cave bear perished, but other beast gods remained such as Cernunnos. The gods of Egypt were beast men and the Greeks spoke of their gods disguising themselves as animals. There are other examples such as Chiron; a centaur, he was hailed as the divine beast. There came the day, however, that Pan, the goat god, died and the beast gods's decline began. This was seen in how animalistic Fomorians of Ireland had lost their magic and were forced to ruling with brute force. They and Balor, their king, were routed by his grandson Lugh of the Long Hand, champion of the ascendant Tuatha de Danaan. Magic was dying as Europe was Christianized, but there were other places in the world such as Asia where magic yet held sway and dog men, monopods, and Blemmyes. It also recounts that many flying animals, both mundane and magical, commanded respect for reason that they were able to escape the mundane world by flight. Pegasus, the roc, simurghs, firebirds, the phoenix, and even ordinary birds like the raven in mythology and the robin were revered. Other flying animals were also known such as griffins, harpies and tengus. Of all magical beasts, however, the unicorn was the most respected. It epitomised beauty and purity but courage as well because it would never let itself be taken alive. Its cousins included China's ki-lin and the Persian karkadann which, unlike their European counterpart, respectively embodied only gentility or ferocity. All, however, could be tamed by maidens. Unicorn horns also had the power to cure poison and disease; in their desire to obtain the horns, humans drove unicorns to extinction. The text mentions other beasts such as the manticore, mermecolion, barometz, basilisk, and peryton. The book contains 143 pages and is divided into the following three chapters, which each contain sub-chapters. Chapter One: Vestiges of the Elder Days (pg.6)The Tale of the Monkey-God (pg.44)Chapter Two: Riders of the Wind (pg.56)An Enchanted Bestiary (pg.88)Chapter Three: Paragon of Purity (pg.100)A Peerless Mount for World-Conquering Alexander (pg.130)UK edition: "Magical Beasts" (1985, ISBN 0705408868)Dutch edition: "Fabeldieren" (1985, ISBN 9061828570)German edition: "Fabeltiere" (1985, 1995, ISBN 9061828570, 3896040073)French edition: "Bestiaire magique" (1985, ISBN 2734403285)Russian edition: "Volshebnye zhivotnye" (1996, ISBN 5300006629) How the series was advertised:The Enchanted World was advertised with a series of commercials transmitted either in first-run syndication or during late-night television programming. The first of these known to be transmitted featured four people who described themselves as being in touch with the Enchanted World.1. Susan Hammett, who called herself an authentic witch. She began the first commercial by saying: "People think that witches only exist in fairy tales. I'm living proof that we're real--and still around today! In fact...I'm from a long line of witches." 2. Litany Burns, a self-styled clairvoyant. Her statement was: "Ever since I was a child, I've been able to see things that aren't visible to ordinary senses. So ghosts are nothing new to me. I've seen them many times." 3. Olga Hayes, a tarot card reader. According to her statement: "The tarot cards are over five hundred years old. With them, I can tell a person's future. I can also tell what they were--in another life." And:4. Wayne Weiseman, a self-styled psychic and the only male participant in the commercial. As he phrased his contacts with the Enchanted World: "There are times when I find myself in another world. (He here faced the camera more directly.) I'm actually there. A lot of people have this power. They just have to develop it." At least two of the later commercials featured actor Vincent Price, well known for his frequent roles in horror films: The first of these, which featured a series of animals—first a rabbit, then a crow or a raven, then a frog, then a cat—transforming into each from the last through special photographic effects, had him, as the narrator, exhorting viewers, "Enter 'The Enchanted World.'" At the end of this commercial, the cat transformed—again, through special photographic effects—into a human; specifically, self-styled authentic witch Susan Hammett from the previous commercial, who pointed out, "After all, how can you be sure witches don't exist--if you don't know what one looks like?"In the second, Price was shown on camera promoting the series and reading at least one of the books by candlelight. At one point, a gust of wind from an open window blew out the candle, which Price re-lit with a match. Then, through lighting trickery, his skin turned glowing green.All the commercials ended with announcer Ted Alexander providing a toll-free telephone number for viewers to call, together with a mailing address where payment for each book in the series could be sent after a ten-day trial.

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