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Beowulf is one of the most universally studied of the English classics, and considered to be the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The title character is a warrior with superhuman strength who honors his king by performing glorious deeds, the first of which is to rescue the royal house of Denmark from two violent monsters. After killing them, he returns triumphantly and rules his people wisely as their King...

In the year 778 A.D., Charles the Great, King of the Franks, returned from a military expedition into Spain, whither he had been led by opportunities offered through dissensions among the Saracens who then dominated that country. On the 15th of August, while his army was marching through the passes of the Pyrenees, his rear-guard was attacked and annihilated by the Basque inhabitants of the mountains, in the valley of Roncesvaux. About this disaster...

Written in Middle English during the Tudor period, "Everyman" is the most famous example of the medieval morality play. Popular in Europe during the 15th and 16th century, morality plays were allegorical dramas in which the protagonists are met with the personifications of personal attributes and tasked with choosing either a good and godly life or evil. "Everyman" is the archetypal morality play, as the main character, Everyman, represents all of...

Foreword by Robert Benson A mystical classic now easier to understand This spiritual classic has been an enigma for centuries. Notoriously difficult to understand, this contemporary English translation ushers you into the way of knowing God that can be dark at times, and luminous at others. It offers an accessible invitation to enter into God's presence through a "cloud of unknowing." Written by an anonymous fourteenth-century monk, The Cloud of Unknowing...

The Magna Carta, or "The Great Charter of the Liberties" is one of the most important historical documents in English history and serves as a philosophical basis for democratic monarchy and civil liberties. The charter was originally drafted in response to a political crisis during the reign of King John who faced opposition from the church and from a group of rebellious barons. The Magna Carta placed restrictions on the monarch and provided an important...

Thought to have been first written down in the 12th century by an author who is still unknown, "The Nibelungenlied," translated from Middle High German as "The Song of the Nibelungs," is an epic German poem reflecting the oral tradition, heroic motifs, and actual events and individuals from the 5th and 6th centuries. This remarkable work begins with an assurance of both joy and sorrow, though ultimately tragedy reins in "The Nibelungenlied." The early...

"The Koran" is the ultimate authority and the foundation of the Islamic faith. Believed by Muslims to be the word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel, it is the source of all Islamic tenets. "The Koran" is composed in Arabic verse and divided into 114 suras, or chapters. The fundamental religious text of Islam, the Koran is recited by millions everyday, and is widely considered the finest piece of Arabic literature....

Arthurian legends have long been the source of countless popular tales. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is one of the best known and most widely read. During King Arthur's New Year's celebration, a mysterious knight, with green clothes and horse, arrives with a challenge to the knights of the round table-any one of them may swing at the Green Knight with an axe if he too is willing to take a blow one year and one day after. Gawain, one of Arthur's...

El joven Aladino solo pensaba en divertirse. Un día, un astuto mago lo convenció para que lo siguiera hasta el campo, encendió un fuego y le echó unos polvos mágicos. Apareció una enorme puerta de piedra y el mago dijo: Solo tú puedes levantar la puerta y encontrar el tesoro: pero no te lleves nada, excepto la lámpara. La colección Cuentos de bolsillo reúne los cuentos y fábulas de toda la vida relatados con una visión muy actual y acompañados...

All the most noted tricks of modern performers. Illustrated with over 500 wood cuts, and intended as a source of amusement for one thousand and one evenings.