Leaves from the Garden of Eden: One Hundred Classic Jewish Tales (Hardcover)

by Howard Schwartz (Author)
Key Phrases: white eagle, beit din, demon princess, Rabbi Adam, Ba'al Shem Tov, King Solomon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Cecil Rhodes was an archimperialist who played a fundamental role in the shaping of British dominion in southern Africa. Today, his views on social Darwinism and Anglo-Saxon superiority are dismissed as blatantly racist. But to promote his vision of an elite corps of empire builders, Rhodes’ will set up a trust to provide Oxford scholarships for the best men for the world’s fight. Men were to be selected on the basis of their integrity, physical talents, and leadership potential. Prominent Americans selected as Rhodes scholars have included former senator Bill Bradley and Admiral Stansfield Turner, former director of the CIA. Ziegler, a British historian and biographer, has written an informative and often surprising history of the Rhodes Trust and its scholarships. Despite the benign nature of the awards, Ziegler reveals how politics and the decline of British imperial power led to furious infighting among trustees as the standards and pool of potential recipients evolved. He also examines how effective the scholarships have been in achieving their stated goals, including training public servants to work for world peace and prosperity. --Jay Freeman

Review

"The cast of characters alone is stunning: Moses and Elijah, David and Solomon, angels and demons, wonder-working rabbis and evil sorcerers, princes and peasants, even Jewish versions of Snow White and Cinderella...This book is a big, beguiling gem, changing colors as you tilt it toward the light. From one angle, it's a world of inventive adventures that children will love; from another angle, a collection of religious allegories that will engage and challenge adults; from yet another angle, a shimmering record of Jewish dreams."
--JBooks.com
"Looking for tales about demon marriages or angel encounters, magic spells or epic quests? They're all right here, and then some."
--Jerusalem Post
In the learned introduction to "Leaves From the Garden of Eden," Schwartz performs the admirable feat of dissecting how and why these tales have lasted so long without allowing the spotlight he shines on them to reduce their ability to delight. ...With Schwartz as their guide through this Garden of Eden, [readers] will find not only enchanting stories but a new understanding of a heritage that lives on, strongly.

Four years after Tree of Souls took our breaths away with myths of the Jewish tradition,
three-time National Jewish Book Award winner Howard Schwartz now brings us a reference pulsing with one hundred magical, miraculous, and spiritual Jewish stories. ...Comprehensive notes and commentary root each story and draw its ties to Jewish tradition. The five appendices are crowning jewels, which also define and index the tales by source, story cycle (of, about, and by key protagonists), countries of origin, specialized subject types, and Arne-Thompson tale types."
-- ewish Book World


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Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195335651
• ISBN-13: 978-0195335651
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #370,383 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular resource!, January 22, 2009

By	Jordan Hill "Jordan Hill, storyteller (jordan... (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a professional Jewish storyteller, I'm frequently looking for new Jewish tales which strike me as great stories and resonate with me on a deep level. Again and again I have found such stories in Howard Schwartz's wonderful collections. To now have available a "best of" collection, with updated stories reflecting Schwartz's growing relationship with them as a storyteller, is such a wonderful blessing.

As always with his works, the stories are very well told, and his selection of tales is replete with enchantment, beauty, and wisdom. I highly recommend this work to anyone interested in Jewish stories!

5.0 out of 5 stars a great collection, June 18, 2009

By	Rita R. Poisner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great collection of Jewsih fairy tales, folk tales and myths. The tales are presented in a manner that preserves their oral, story telling voice. A gem to have handy to renew your connection with or to develop an appreciation for a priceless heritage. Should prove useful to researchers.