D'aulaires' Book Of Norse Myths

“…a mythological tour de force.”— The New York Times“Out of print for many years, Norse Gods and Giants has been very handsomely reissued by the The New York Review Children’s Collection and retitled D’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths. Featuring a sturdy sewn binding, the book arguably represents the pinnacle of the d’Aulaires’ achievement as storytellers and artists….the prose seems livelier and more robust in the Norse myths than in the Greek…Their retelling of the Greek myths for children had to pull its punches somewhat….but since sex doesn’t feature as prominently in Norse mythology, this book is able to stay scrupulously faithful to the Edda and still maintain its PG rating. But not to worry: there’s still a lot of drinking, fighting and bad behavior, particularly on the part of fiery Thor, who is forever whacking frost giants on the head with his hammer, and the highly entertaining Loki, who is one of the most complicated and devious characters in anybody’s mythology, anywhere. Loki is the Bart Simpson of Norse mythology, forever pulling pranks, forever getting caught and forever talking his way out of the consequences…”— The New York Times Book Review”[These] works, especially the books of Norse and Greek myths, were and remain crucial to me, and now to my own children. The interest in mythology that was kindled by those two books has endured throughout my life, and has directly influenced my own writing in countless ways…The Norse book was always my favorite, though. I must have read it a dozen times at least by the time I was nine or ten.”— Michael Chabon

Edgar Parin D’Aulaire (1898-1986) studied art in Germany and France, and apprenticed with Henri Matisse. In Munich, he met Ingri Mortenson (1904-1980), a Norwegian-born art student. They married and emigrated to the US. Together, they published over twenty picture books for children, including The Magic Rug, Ola and East of the Sun and West of the Moon, both of which describe Norwegian folklore. Their work shifted to American history with Abraham Lincoln, a biography which won the 1940 Caldecott Medal. The D’Aulaires were awarded the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association in 1970.

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