First published in 1851 by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “A Wonder-Book for Boys and Girls” is a captivating and classic retelling for children of some of the most famous stories from Greek mythology. Hawthorne followed this first collection of Greek tales with a sequel, “The Tanglewood Tales” in 1853. The book is set as a story-within-a-story with a fictional college student retelling these timeless myths to a group of school children. Hawthorne modified these legendary tales for a younger and more modern audience after first having the idea several years before to bring these important and influential stories to American children in a more accessible format. The birth of Hawthorne’s daughter in 1851 inspired the completion of the project. In this collection you will find tales such as “The Gorgon’s Head”, which recounts the slaying of Medusa by Perseus, “The Golden Touch”, which is the tale of King Midas, “The Three Golden Apples”, featuring Hercules, “The Chimaera”, which tells the story of Bellerophon and Pegasus, and three more classic myths. Hawthorne’s “A Wonder-Book for Boys and Girls” is an excellent and entertaining collection of stories of adventure and fantasy which serves as a great introduction to Greek mythology for younger readers. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
