THE author has long been of opinion that many of the classical myths were capable of being rendered into very capital reading for children. In the little volume here offered to the public, he has worked up half a dozen of them, with this end in view. A great freedom of treatment was necessary to his plan; but it will be observed by every one who attempts to render these legends malleable in his intellectual furnace, that they are marvellously inde pendent of all temporary modes and circumstances. They remain essentially the same, after changes that would affect the identity of almost anything else.

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Teeming with monsters, magic, and adventure, this children"s classic by one of America"s greatest writers retells in captivating narrative six legendary tales of incredible warriors and evil creatures.

Using a fictional narrator who tells engrossing stories to his young relatives on quiet hillsides, in secluded vales, and other attractive settings, Nathaniel Hawthorne draws his readers into the imaginative and ancient world of Greek mythology. There, they meet King Midas, the man with an unusual power, in "The Golden Touch"; Hercules, the legendary hero and strongman, in "The Three Golden Apples"; cruel witches with snakes for hair, in "The Gorgon"s Head"; and "The Chimaera," a monster that is part lion, part goat, and part snake. An enchanting account of Pandora and an enticing box is recounted in "The Paradise of Children," while "The Miraculous Pitcher" tells a heartwarming tale about the rewards of hospitality and goodness.

PREFACE

THE GORGON"S HEAD

  TANGLEWOOD PORCH--Introductory to

"The Gorgon"s Head"

  THE GORGON"S HEAD

 TANGLEWOOD PORCH--After the Story

THE GOLDEN TOUCH

 SHADOW BRooK--Introductory to

"The Golden Touch"

  THE GOLDEN TOUCH

 SHADOW BROOK--After the Story

THE PARADISE OF CHILDREN

  TANGLEWOOD PLAY-RooM--Introductory to

"The Paradise of Children"

  THE PARADISE OF CHILDREN

  TANGLEWOOD PLAY-ROOM--After the Story

THE THREE GOLDEN APPLES

  TANGLEWOOD FIRESIDE--Introductory to

"The Three Golden Apples"

  THE THREE GOLDEN APPLES

 TANGLEWOOD FIRESIDE--Mter the Story

THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER

 THE HILL-SIDE--Introductory to

"The Miraculous Pitcher"

  THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER

 THE HILL-SIDE--After the Story

THE CHIMAERA

 BALD-SUMMIT--Introductory to

"The Chimaera"

 THE CHIM/ERA

 BALD-SUMMIT--After the Story