Six legends of Greek mythology, retold for children by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Included are The Gorgon’s Head, The Golden Touch, The Paradise of Children, The Three Golden Apples, The Miraculous Pitcher, and The Chimaera. In 1838, Hawthorne suggested to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that they collaborate on a story for children based on the legend of the Pandora’s Box, but this never materialized. He wrote A Wonder Book between April and July 1851, adapting six legends most freely from Charles Anton’s A Classical Dictionary (1842). He set out deliberately to “modernize” the stories, freeing them from what he called “cold moonshine” and using a romantic, readable style that was criticized by adults but proved universally popular with children. With full-color illustrations throughout by Arthur Rackham.
- ISBN10 067943643X
- ISBN13 9780679436430
- Publish Date 27 September 1994 (first published 1 August 1987)
- Publish Status Out of Stock
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Random House USA Inc
- Imprint Everyman's Library USA
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 270
- Language English
- URL https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780679436430