Irish Myths And Legends [ABRIDGED] (Hardcover)

by Lady Gregory (Author) "It was in a mist the Tuatha de Danaan, the people of the gods of Dana, or as some called them, the Men of Dea,..." (more)
Key Phrases: way that happened, sunny house, pity the way, Tuatha de Danaan, Fianna of Ireland, Men of Dea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Lady Gregory's translations of ancient Celtic stories inspired a generation of writers, including W. B. Yeats, whose original foreword to Gods and Fighting Men is abridged for this classic miniature version. A perfect gift for all lovers of literature.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Running Press Miniature Editions (February 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762404515
• ISBN-13: 978-0762404513
• Product Dimensions: 3.1 x 2.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #520,446 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Know what you are getting..., April 30, 2002

By	St. Amadeus (Wheeling, WV) - See all my reviews

In case your one of the 96% who never really looks at the "size" of a book when you order it, make sure you do for this one. It's only a pocket version of Lady Gregory's book, and, although the website does not tell you so, this is an ABRIGDED version.

Just know what you're getting.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent translation, but "compiled", January 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Irish Myths and Legends (Hardcover)

I have read this book and find that the first part is fairly accurate when I compare it with other translations of the stories about Finn and the Fianna. However, I read the notes section for the stories about Cuchulain and noticed that Lady Gregory states that she compiled these stories, while the book jacket states she translated them. Unfortunately she has used several different sources for one of my favorite tales (Deirdre and Naoise) and it makes me wonder how accurate her version of this tale is. She has some elements in the ending that I have found attributed to later versions of the tale (she uses the later version of Deirdre stabbing herself instead of her dashing her head on the rocks), but the fact that she admits in her notes to editing and compiling the tales as she sees fit makes me wonder what else she edited because she didn't like. Personally, I am searching for a translation that is more accurate when it comes to Irish tales, because I feel that the original meaning becomes muddled when tales are edited to match a person's taste.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not the edition you're looking for, October 12, 2005

By	Labhrás Mac Muiris - See all my reviews

This edition offers only a small selection of Lady Gregory's _Gods and Fighting Men_, plus the book itself is about 2" by 4". In other words, this book is really a souvenir--not a text to be read. You probably want to get the full text of _Gods and Fighting Men_ instead.