For centuries, social life in rural Tuscany has centered around the veglia, an evening gathering of family and friends at the hearth. Folklore by the Fireside is a thorough and insightful study of this custom—from the tales, riddles, lullabies, and folk prayers performed as the small children are put to bed to the courtship songs and dances later in the evening to the anti-veglia male gossip, card games, and protest songs originating in the tavern.Alessandro Falas...

The timeless and magical tale of Cinderella is one we are all familiar with, but how well do we know the original story? Seven versions of the fairy tale from around the world are featured in this beautiful, illustrated volume.A tale of cruelty, love, and a touch of magic, Cinderella has always been one of the most popular fairy tales. Discover more about the wonderful story and take a tour around the globe with this volume from our Origins of Fai...

Examines how the ancient customs of constructing and keeping a house formed a sacred bond between homes and their inhabitants• Shares many tales of house spirits, from cajoling the local land spirit into becoming one’s house spirit to the good and bad luck bestowed by mischievous house elves• Explains the meaning behind door and window placement, house orientation, horsehead gables, the fireplace or hearth, and the threshold• Reveals the charms, chants, prayers, and...

By November 1918, only one Italian training unit equipped with French Schneider and Renault tanks had been formed.Consequently, during the 1920s the Italian army had just one single tank type in its armoured inventory – the Fiat 3000. Only in 1927 was the first tank unit formed as a branch of the infantry and not as an independent organization.Pier Paolo Battistelli and Filippo Cappellano explore the development of these tanks. Between 1933 and March 1939, ...

Il Manifesto del futurismo (vedi testo) fu scritto da Filippo Tommaso Marinetti e pubblicato in forma di declamatoria per fornire una raccolta concisa di pensieri, convinzioni e intenzioni dei Futuristi il 5 febbraio 1909.Il Futurismo è un grande movimento antifilosofico e anticulturale di idee, intuiti istinti pugni calci schiaffi specchiatori purificatori innovatori e velocizzatori creato il 20 febbraio 1909 da un gruppo di poeti arditi italiani geniali.Fra le tante defin...

Rapunzel – Origins of the Fairy Tale from around the World' contains seven different versions of the 'Rapunzel' story. It includes an in-depth introduction to the fairy tale genre itself, as well as the folkloric provenance of 'Rapunzel'. It encompasses 'Petrosinella' by Giambattista Basile, 'Rapunzel' by the Brothers Grimm, 'Prunella' by Andrew Lang, the 'Legend of Saint Barbara' and the tale of 'Rúdábeh' from the Persian epic, 'The Shahmaneh'. What is a fairy tale? The 'Origins of Fairy ...

This 1865 volume offers a surprisingly sympathetic view of witchcraft, tracing its roots through several thousand years and pointing out similarities and parallels with the major world religions. Though dense and scholarly at times, The Superstitions of Witchcraft is a rewarding read for those with an interest in the history of the practice.

The three manuscripts which we possess of the ancient Maya peoples of Central America, the Dresden (Dr.), the Madrid (Tro.-Cort.) and the Paris (Per.) manuscripts, all contain a series of pictorial representations of human figures, which, beyond question, should be regarded as figures of gods. Together with these are a number of animal figures, some with human bodies, dress and armor, which likewise have a mythologic significance

The blind mendicant in Ukrainian folk tradition is a little-known social order, but an important one. The singers of Ukrainian epics, these minstrels were organized into professional guilds that set standards for training and performance. Repressed during the Stalin era, this is their story.

An in-depth collection of ancient spells and magic practices drawn from rare and newly discovered texts• Presents more than 600 magical prescriptions for healing and protection from both pagan and Christian sources• Examines the practice of diagnosing illness through magic and explores ancient beliefs about curses and other evil spells and about devils, demons, and ghosts• Includes spells from the heavily guarded gypsy tradition of magic and healing, drawn from newl...

Bluebeard is the main character in one of the grisliest and most enduring fairy tales of all time. A serial wife murderer, he keeps a horror chamber in which remains of all his previous matrimonial victims are secreted from his latest bride. She is given all the keys but forbidden to open one door of the castle. Astonishingly, this fairy tale was a nursery room staple, one of the tales translated into English from Charles Perrault's French Mother Goose Tales.Bluebeard:...

Twelve years have gone by since the passing of George L. Mosse, yet his work still provides essential tools for historical analysis and influences contemporary research. This volume provides a re-examination of his historiographical production and an analysis of his influence in the context of Italian history.