As the nineteenth century gave way to the twentieth, a number of books appeared in English dealing with the romantic and fascinating world of myth and legend. Among the few that went on to become minor classics of that genre was M. I. Ebbutt's Hero Myths and Legends of the British Race. The nine stories selected from the 1910 edition of Ebbutt's book have been reset in a modern typeface, but retaining every detail - content, spelling and orthography - in order to keep the flavour of the time and the nature of Ebbutt's writing. In editing and selecting the stories for inclusion in this version, John Matthews has written an introductory essay to each, providing the background, context and relevant historical or mythological origins of the tales. He also draws on his considerable expertise and knowledge of the subject to provide an overall Introduction to this edition, designed to bring the stories to a new audience worldwide. As well as the original stories, a selection of the original illustrations has also been included to show the pictorial style used at the time. These have been supplemented by new colour plates, specially painted for this edition by artist and illustrator Peter Komarnyckyj.
Enjoyable if dated tales from ye olde times. Good old fashioned good triumphs over evil. Although regional the tales have similiar exploits and themes but are still a fun read.