Folklore, Myth & Legend. Secondhand Books. Man Myth & Magic

FM1A. Alexander, H.B, Mythology of all Races volume 10: North American, 1916, Cooper Square 1964, 8vo, black cloth with spine lettered in gold, silver, and blue, 26 + 325pp + a coloured frontispiece with captioned tissue guard and 32 plates, of which 4 are coloured. Ex lib, small file number to spine, very faint impressed stamp to front board, book plate to front end paper, neat ink stamps to verso of title page and a couple of final margins; light rubbing to cloth in places, edges of text block tanned and lightly soiled, text clean and tight, lacks map at end which doesn’t appear to have ever been present, but otherwise a good + and textually better copy £10

F1AA. Baker, R.L, Hoosier Folk Legends, 1st edition, Indiana University Press 8vo pbk. 1989, 22 + 264pp. A comprehensive collection of Indiana folklore, including sections on witches, monsters, special powers, hauntings, etc, through to modern legends such as UFOs. Near fine £6

F1AC, Baring Gould, S, Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, 1866, Rivingtons 1875, Cr8vo, green cloth with gilt titles to spine and illustrated front board, 10 + 660pp, with illustrations in the text + publisher’s catalogue; the complete first and second series of Gould’s collection of myths and legends together in one volume. Slight rubbing to spine ends, joints and corners, edges of text block darkened, faint vertical crease to prelims, some occasional minor spotting, mainly to margins, a couple of marginal notes by a previous owner together with a couple of related news clippings tipped in, inner hinges slightly strained, but overall still a just about good + tight and largely textually clean copy £12

F3. (Blackwell, T and others), Letters Concerning Mythology, 1st edition, London 1748, 8vo, near contemporary full brown calf , spine in compartments with raised bands and gilt fillets and blind title, 14 (of 16, lacking title page, which is loosely inserted in modern facsimile and otherwise textually complete) + 411pp + 15pp index + advertisement leaf , with one engraving in the text and one engraved plate; Thomas Blackwell, who was responsible for 13 of the 19 letters, is considered to have been one of the major figures of the ‘Scottish Enlightenment. The letters draw on a wide range of ancient sources, particularly those within the classical world and near east in a radical attempt to show mythology as a deeply civilising influence, which when allegorically interpreted, is key to the correct world view of classical antiquity. Title gilt very dulled and all but rubbed away in places, boards marked and edge-worn, corners lightly bumped, slight chipping to head of spine, joints rubbed, lacks front end paper, front hinge parting slightly at the gutter but remains firm, some very occasional marginal spotting or soiling and the odd faint crease mark, text tight and largely clean throughout; apart from the missing title page, a good, solid and textually better copy of the scarce first edition, and including the engraved plate which is not present in all copies £75

F5AD. Campbell, M, Curious Tales of Old West Yorkshire, 1st edition, Sigma 8vo pbk. 1999, 6 + 229pp including index, with double page map, photographs and other illustrations in the text, foreword by Mollie Sugden. An interesting study, featuring material on ghosts, legends, punishments, and a host of other curiosities, and including a brief section on the Rosicrucian Fathers of Keighley. A few minor marks to covers, edges lightly rubbed, contents clean and tight. Very good £2.50

FM8. Dixon, R.B, Mythology of all Races volume 9: Oceanic, 1916, Cooper Square 1964, 8vo, black cloth with spine lettered in gold, silver, and blue, 2216 + 364p + a frontispiece with captioned tissue guard, 23 plates and double page map. Ex lib, small file number to spine, very faint impressed stamp to front board, book plate to front end paper, neat ink stamps to verso of title page and a couple of plate margins; light rubbing to cloth in places slight soiling to lower part of front board, edges of text block tanned and lightly soiled, text clean and tight, overall a good + and textually better copy £15

F008WE. Eyre, K, Lancashire Legends, 1st edition, Dalesman Books 8vo pbk. 1974, 70pp, with illustrations in the text by Bruce Danz; an entertaining collection of legendary lore and associated sites; Covers rubbed at edges with some light creasing and a few minor marks, flat crease to lower corner of one leaf, light spotting to half title and a couple of other pages, text tight and still very clean, good + £2

FM8 Ferguson, J. C & M. Anesaki, Mythology of all Races volume 8: Chinese and Japanese, 1928, Cooper Square 1964, 8vo, black cloth with spine lettered in gold, silver, and blue, 12 + 416pp including index, with illustrations in the text + a coloured frontispiece with captioned tissue guard and 43 plates, of which 2 are coloured. Ex lib, small file number to spine, very faint impressed stamp to front board, book plate to front end paper, neat ink stamps to verso of title page and a couple of final margins; light rubbing to cloth in places, top part of rear board slightly marked, edges of text block tanned and lightly soiled, text clean and tight, overall a good + and textually better copy £15

F0008. Field, J.E, The Myth of the Pent Cuckoo, 1st edition, Elliot Stock 1913, 8vo, brown cloth with gilt titles to spine and blind titles to front board, 12 + 215pp including index + a frontispiece and 3 plates, top edge stained dark brown, others uncut; a scientific and folkloric examination of cuckoo pens in English tradition, that originated from the “wise men of Gotham”. Upper front corner bumped, spine slightly faded, end papers and edges of text block browned, minor spots to prelims, text clean and tight, a near very good copy of this uncommon title £25

F008A. Fort, C, The Book of the Damned, 1919, Abacus 8vo pbk. 1973, 317pp, introduction by Tiffany Thayer, preface by Donald Wollheim. One of the author’s four books detailing strange and unexplainable phenomena. Some light edge wear, reading crease near spine, tiny nick to top edge of front cover, rear cover a little soiled. Merest hint of tanning to margins, text clean and tight. Good + £2

F8CC. Gould, C, Mythical Monsters, 1886, Senate 8vo pbk. 1995, 4 + 407pp, with illustrations in the text. A sound study, based on origins in pre-history. Edges of covers lightly rubbed, small bump to upper fold near spine, spine marked, contents clean and tight. A near very good copy £1.50

F09AB. Gray, A, Tales of Old Essex, 1987, 1st edition, 2nd printing, Countryside Books 1992 8vo pbk, 96pp, with illustrations by Don Osmond; a small collection of traditional Essex folk tales; spine slightly faded, light soiling to edges of text block otherwise internally and externally clean and tight, very good + £1.50

F12B. Hemming, J (editor), Folklore, volume 125, number 3, December 2014, Cr4to pbk, paginated 267-385, articles and book reviews from the prestigious Folklore Society; light rubbing to corners, very faint crease mark to upper corner of rear cover, label removal mark to blank upper corner of first leaf otherwise internally clean and tight, a very good copy £4

F12C, Hemming, J (editor), Folklore, volume 128, number 1, March 2017, Cr4to pbk, paginated 1-109, articles and book reviews from the prestigious Folklore Society; light rubbing to corners, near fine £5

F13CD. Holiday, F.W, The Dragon and the Disc, 1973, Futura small format pbk. 1974, 247pp including index, with illustrations in the text + 8pp plates and advertisements; an interesting comparative study of dragon lore, bronze age sites, and the U.F.O phenomenon; crease marks to covers, reading crease to spine, covers marked in places and rubbed at edges, faint water stain to upper corner of last few leaves, text lightly and evenly tanned but otherwise clean and tight, a good reading copy of this uncommon title £3.50

F13CDD. (Homer), The Odyssey of Homer, 1st edition thus, 3rd printing, O.U.P 1932, 8vo, blue cloth with gilt titles to spine and illustration to front board, 6 + 327pp, vignette to title page, fore-edge uncut. A new prose translation of Homer’s ancient Greek mythological epic by T.E Shaw. Very slight fading to spine, old book plate to front paste-down, end papers and edges of text block slightly darkened, contents otherwise clean and tight. Very good £6

F14. Hope Moncrieff, A.R, Classic Myth and Legend, Gresham, no date, c.1920, 8vo, full green pictorial cloth with gilt titles to spine, top edge stained green, 16 + 443pp including index + 40 b/w and 8 colour plates including frontispiece with tissue guard, engraved title; a classic popular account of Greek mythology. Corners rubbed, spine slightly darkened and lightly worn at ends, a couple of minor marks to cloth, some occasional light foxing, mainly to margins, text tight and largely clean overall, a near very good copy £8