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Mythology

Tales' category of mythology contains some of the oldest written texts in history. The mythology books will take you on adventurous journeys through ancient worlds of brave heroes and great gods of the past. Our collection covers myth from all around the world. You can find stories about the Vikings’ Norse gods and sorceresses, but you can also dive into the legendary and heroic tales of Ancient Greece. You can also get wiser on Ancient Egypt and it’s gods and pharaohs. Finally you will find mythology books about Ancient Japan with descriptions of its traditions and customs. Get ready to be inspired by the stories of the past.
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  • by Natalie Haynes
    £8.99

    In The Children of Jocasta, Natalie Haynes retells the Oedipus and Antigone myths to reveal a new side of an ancient story . . .My siblings and I have grown up in a cursed house, children of cursed parents . . .Jocasta is just fifteen when she is told that she must marry the King of Thebes, an old man she has never met. Her life has never been her own, and nor will it be, unless she outlives her strange, absent husband.Ismene is the same age when she is attacked in the palace she calls home. Since the day of her parents' tragic deaths a decade earlier, she has always longed to feel safe with the family she still has. But with a single act of violence, all that is about to change.With the turn of these two events, a tragedy is set in motion. But not as you know it.

  • by Stanley Donwood & Robert Macfarlane
    £8.99

  • by Sharon Blackie
    £9.99

    From an established writer of empowering literature comes a first fictional collection - of transformational power. Written with visceral intensity the landscapes provide readers with portals to worlds where anything is possible. Drawing on N. European folklore rather than Greek myth or male-interpreted fairy tales, these are the original feminist voices. Sharing revenge and rebirth, capturing love and shaking off the past, changing the elements and shedding skins, they are heroines all. Each shapeshifting woman has an extraordinary story of change and survival to tell, and each story is born out of a regional folk tale. Ranging from Iceland to Ireland, Scotland to Scandanavia, Croatia to Cornwall this is a compelling journey in the company of a masterful storyteller.

  • - Tales of Greek Myth, Gods, Goddesses, Mythical Beasts & the Beliefs of Ancient Greece
    by Adrian Myron
    £13.49 - 20.49

  • by Shami Stovall
    £18.49 - 23.99

  • - The number one bestseller and British Book Awards Book of the Year
    by Sarah Perry
    £7.99 - 8.99

  • by J. R. R. Tolkien
    £10.99

    After 75 years, The Hobbit translated for the first time into Latin. Fascinating for Latin learners and for Tolkien fans of all ages.In foramine terrae habitabat hobbitus. ('In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.')The Hobbit, published 75 years ago, has become one of the world's most popular classic stories, appealing to adults as much as to the children for whom J.R.R. Tolkien first wrote the book. Translated worldwide into more than 60 modern languages, now Hobbitus Ille is finally published in Latin, and will be of interest to all those who are studying the language, whether at school or at a higher level.In the great tradition of publishing famous children's books in Latin, professional classicist and lifelong Tolkien fan Mark Walker provides a deft translation of the entire book. His attention to detail, including the transformation of Tolkien's songs and verses into classical Latin metres, will fascinate and entertain readers of all ability, even those with only a minimal acquaintance with the language.

  • - Beautiful Celtic Designs and Patterns to Color Including Celtic Crosses, Mandalas, Knotwork, and Animals
    by Dylanna Press
    £10.99

    Celtic Adult Coloring Book | 65 Unique DesignsCeltic Patterns, Celtic Crosses, Knotwork, Symbols, Animal Designs, and MoreThis fun and relaxing coloring book for adults contains 65 Celtic-themed coloring pages to enjoy. A great way to unwind, relieve stress, and get creative. Provides hours of relaxation and is a fantastic creative outlet.A wide range of Celtic designs will provide hours of fun, stress relief, creativity, and relaxation. Full page designs are printed single side on high-quality pure white paper. Includes 65 unique designs, no repeats Each page is professionally composed to provide the highest quality Each page is 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches High-resolution printing for crisp, clear illustrations Printed single side on bright white, 60 lb stock Perfect medium for colored pencils Makes a wonderful and unique gift

  • by Stephens James Stephens
    £15.49 - 19.49

    In IRISH FAIRY TALES James Stephens masterfully retells ten Irish legends. The writing is crisp, humorous, and accessible. While reading this book you'll be convinced that you are actually visiting a long lost island of Ireland filled with magic, fairies, and heroes. Lavishly and beautifully illustrated.

  • - The Only Book You Will Ever Need to Build Strength for Your Life. Discover The 9 Personalities Types. Evolve Your Personality and Become Self Aware!
    by Ian Baron
    £15.49 - 23.99

  • - A Science Fiction Adventure
    by Bertauski Tony
    £35.99 - 39.99

  • by Christoph Martin Wieland
    £22.99 - 31.49

  • by H E Marshall
    £15.49 - 24.49

  • by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve & J R Planche
    £13.99 - 21.99

  • by Matthew Reilly
    £7.99

    Join one of the world's greatest adventure writers on the new thrill-ride in the international bestselling series.

  • by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
    £8.99

    An award-winning debut that vividly reimagines Uganda's troubled history through the cursed bloodline of the Kintu clan

  • - Legends of the Condor Heroes Vol. 1
    by Jin Yong
    £9.49

    The most popular series by the most successful Chinese author - a cultural monument translated into English for the first time

  • by Hesiod Hesiod
    £10.49 - 12.99

  • - A Translation and Commentary, Together with Sellic Spell
    by J. R. R. Tolkien
    £8.99 - 51.99

    The translation of Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien was an early work, very distinctive in its mode, completed in 1926: he returned to it later to make hasty corrections, but seems never to have considered its publication.

  • by Marion Zimmer Bradley
    £10.99

    Here is the tragic tale of the rise and fall of Camelot - but seen through the eyes of Camelot's women: The devout Gwenhwyfar, Arthur's Queen; Vivane, High priestess of Avalon and the Lady of the Lake; above all, Morgaine, possessor of the sight, the wise, the wise-woman fated to bring ruin on them all...

  • - A Novel of Arthur
    by Bernard Cornwell
    £9.49

    From Bernard Cornwell. the creator of the No. 1 bestselling Sharpe novels. Arthur seeks peace, with the aid of his sword Excaliber . . . After rebellions and betrayals by those he believed loved him most, Arthur looks at his most weak. His Saxon enemies decide to strike before he regains his strength, plunging Britain into war. It will require all Arthur's leadership and military cunning to win this last battle.But in this final struggle of the warlord, the intrigues of Mordred, now the adult heir to the throne of Britain, and the dark magic of the priestess Nimue could conspire to bring about Arthur's downfall. Even his trusty blade Excaliber may not be sharp enough to save him . . .Bernard Cornwell concludes The Warlord Chronicles, bringing the Arthurian legend to thrilling new life.'A powerful and dramatic retelling of the Arthurian legend' Sharon Penman'Of all the books I have written these are my favourites' Bernard Cornwell

  • by Roald Dahl
    £7.99 - 10.99

    Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The BFG by Roald Dahl, read by David Walliams. The BFG is a nice and jumbly giant. In fact, he is the only big friendly giant in Giant Country. All the other giants are big bonecrunching brutes, and now the BFG and his friend Sophie must stop them guzzling up little human beans - with some help from Her Majester, the Queen. David Walliams is a multi-award winning British comedian, actor and writer, best known for the comedy series Little Britain; but his acting work includes plays, dramas and films. He is also the author of five hugely successful childrens books, including two illustrated by Quentin Blake - Roald Dahls favourite illustrator.

  • by Angela Carter
    £8.99 - 10.99

    This crazy world whirled around her, men and women dwarfed by toys and puppets, where even the birds are mechanical and the few human figures went masked . . . She was in the night once again, and the doll was herself.One night Melanie walks through the garden in her mother's wedding dress. The next morning her world is shattered. Forced to leave the home of her childhood, she is sent to live with relatives she has never met: gentle Aunt Margaret, mute since her wedding day; and her brothers, Francie and Finn. Brooding over all is Uncle Philip, who loves only the toys he makes in his workshop: clockwork roses and puppets that are life-size - and uncannily life-like.Books included in the VMC 40th anniversary series include: Frost in May by Antonia White; The Collected Stories of Grace Paley; Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault; The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter; The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann; Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith; The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; Heartburn by Nora Ephron; The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy; Memento Mori by Muriel Spark; A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor; and Faces in the Water by Janet Frame

  • by Robin Hobb
    £9.49

    A collection of novellas and stories from one of the most critically acclaimed authors in the fantasy genre, Robin Hobb. Including work written under her pseudonym, Megan Lindholm.Bingtown heiresses rub shoulders in this wonderful collection with vampires and alien musicians, tramps and feral cats.In The Homecoming, Lady Carillion Carrock and a number of other Jamaillian nobles are sailing to the Cursed Shores. Their journey is not by choice: for plotting against the Satrap, their wealth has been confiscated and they have been exiled. Until now, Carillion has done nothing but lead a life of privilege. She believes they are bound for wondrous cities, cities where ancient kings and queens dusted their skin with gold and wore jewels above their eyes. But when she is marooned by the ship's unscrupulous captain, she will soon discover the grim reality of what survival in the Rain Wilds entails.The Silver Lady is a would-be writer, ekeing out a dull existence by working in a Sears store. The one day a man comes in: fortyish, pleasant-looking. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except he says his name is Merlin, and he's about to change her life.Rosemary got involved with the wrong man. Pell is lazy, good for nothing, a bully. Her best friend Hilia knew it and so did her tom cat, Marmalade. But love is blind: Rosemary had Pell's baby, renovated the cottage his grandfather left in his will, turned its land to good use; and then he left her for another woman. Now he's back, and something must be done...

  • by Kim Harrison
    £8.99 - 9.49

    From New York Times best-selling author, Kim Harrison, comes the first book in her brilliant series, The Hollows; packed with vampires, werewolves and witches - don't miss out on the sexiest urban fantasy you'll read this year.Rachel Morgan lives in a world where a bioengineered virus wiped out most of the world's human population - exposing the existence of supernatural communities that had long lived alongside humanity. It's her job as a white witch working for Inderland Security to protect the humans from things that go bump in the night.For the last five years Rachel has been tracking down lawbreaking Inderlanders in modern-day Cincinnati, but now she wants to leave and start her own agency. Her only problem: no one quits the I.S.Marked for death, Rachel will have to fend off fairy assassins and homicidal werewolves armed to the teeth with deadly curses.Unless she can appease her former employers by exposing the city's most prominent citizen as a drug lord, she might just be a dead witch walking.

  • - Tales from the Haunted Forests of Britain
    by JOHN ED MILLER
    £8.99

    Woods play an important role in horror, fantasy, the gothic and the weird. They are places in which strange things happen, where you often can't see where you are or what is nearby. This new collection showcases the best supernatural stories from the real forests of Britain, and notes on the folklore which inspired these deliciously sinister tales.

  • by Anne Louise Avery
    £17.99

    Reynard was once the most popular and beloved character in European folklore. Expanded with new interpretations, innovative language and characterisation, this edition is an imaginative re-telling of the Reynard story and as relevant and controversial today as it was in the fifteenth century.

  • - The Untold Story of Mary, Mother of Jesus
    by Alan Gold
    £22.99

Mythology
Mythology is the foundation of many of today's stories, take for example the stories of King Arthur and Merlin, a well-known story that goes back to the celtic mythologies. It has fascinated many writers all around the world and with good reason. Myths take you on fascinating and sometimes even magical journeys and into the ancient worlds of the past. The mythologies build on folklore and you can learn a lot about the ancient lifestyles by reading mythology books. The themes in mythologies are often built around honor and bravery, but the tales also have their own universal moral message. 

Norse mythology books
In the Nordic countries we have a long and proud history of folk tales and some of them can be traced all the way back to the Middle Ages and even before that, to what we describe as the Norse period, where all the Scandinavian countries were connected as one and not divided into nations. The North was instead formed by many smaller societies, who lived comparatively insulated and connected to nature. Such a life could be hard and created fertile soil for folklore and the belief in supernatural creatures, which are found in many folk tales. Most of the tales were part of an oral tradition and were often handed down through many generations. The mythology tales were first written down and converted into mythology books many years after they were told for the first time. 
We cannot mention the Norse period without the Vikings. Vikings are known all over the world for their strength, ships and sometimes brutal conquests, but the Vikings were defined by so much more than that. They had for example a vivid and intriguing tradition for mythology. To the Vikings they were so much more than myths, it was their religion. The Norse religion referred to as Asatru consists of multiple gods, goddresses, brave heroes and volvas, which were strong female sorcerers and fortune tellers. If you want to find your way to get started in Nordic mythology you can find a good description and overview in Penguin Book of Norse myths - Gods of the Vikings

Greek mythology books
Some of the greatest and most famous myths are found in Ancient Greece. You might have heard about the gods Zeus and Prometheus, the goddesses Athena and Aphrodite, and the heroes Hercules and Achilles? They are just a few of the unique figures of Ancient Greek mythology. They are found in some of the greatest classics of world literature; the Iliad and the Odyssey written by Homer. At Tales you can get them as mythology books in their traditional verse form, but we would also recommend you to take a look at Stephen Fry’s interpretations of the classical tales. Fry takes the timeless classics into modern times by rewriting the mythologies in a modern, easy understandable english, but he still keeps the essence of the Ancient mythologies. You can find Stephen Fry’s Heroes and Mythos in our selection of mythological books. 

Egyptian mythology books
Another world of mythologies is found in Ancient Egypt. Here we come across Ancient gods and goddesses with faces formed as animals. One of the central gods in Egyptian mythology is the sun god Ra. Ra was the incarnation of the sun, which was the foundation of life. In Egyptian mythology we also find mummies. Mummies were the deceased faraos, who were embalmed and covered in gaze to restore them for the afterlife. The god Osiris would then help them on their way through the afterlife. The mummies were placed in their own pyramid, who would show the greatness of the faraos for the times to come. The pyramids still stand in Egypt and show the history of the past. Among our egyptian mythology books you find the book Egyptian Mythology, which has collected all the fascinating tales of Ancient Egypt and all its gods, goddesses and legendary creatures. 

Japanese mythology books 
You can also find japanese mythology books in Tales’ selection. The japanese myths are little known to people, but contain many amazing stories. You can for example find the story behind the samurais, an Ancient collection of warriors in the japanese armies. A samurai had to live up to certain virtues in order to keep his status. A samurai should both be loyal and have a high level of endurance, modesty, and honor. You could learn a lot about a country from its mythology, because it is the foundation of the country’s culture, although a lot of changes have found place since then. If you aren’t familiar with japanese mythology, we recommend you to read the Handbook of Japanese Mythology among our collection of japanese mythology books. 

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