The Sampo

by James Baldwin

Far away in the Frozen Land in the long ago time a master wizard forged the wondrous Sampo or mill of fortune, which ground out all sorts of treasures and gave wealth and power to its owner. This story, retold in prose from the Finnish Kalevala, tells of the making of this magic mill with its pictured lid of rainbow colors and of the adventures of the heroes who sought to gain possession of it.

316 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James Baldwin (1841-1925) was an American editor and author. Largely self-educated, he began teaching at the age of 24. In addition to editing school books, he started writing books of his own. After the publication in 1882 of The Story of Siegfried, he went on to write more than 50 others. At one time it was estimated that of all the school books in use in the United States, over half had been written or edited by him. He is best remembered for the books of introductory historical sketches he wrote for younger students and his retellings of the legends of heroes for older students. Other works include: The Story of Roland (1883), A Story of the Golden Age (1887), Old Greek Stories (1895), Fifty Famous Stories Retold (1896), Four Great Americans (1897), Hero Tales (1904), Fifty Famous People (1912) and In My Youth (1914).

Reviews

[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a different read to say the least. I also definitely confused the two Baldwins XD

[Jaide · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! As someone who grew up on Norse and Greek myths, I feel ashamed that the Kalevala was unknown to me. James Baldwin retold these stories enchantingly. An excellent introduction to the Finnish epic!