Excerpt from Tales From the Earthly Paradise The Earthly Paradise was written by William Morris in 1868-1870. It is a treasure-house of lovely old-world tales, mainly Greek and Northern, told in a series of narrative poems arranged not unlike Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. A company of seafarers who had failed to find the Earthly Paradise, their heart's desire, are thrown on an island in the West inhabited by a colony of Greeks, as told in the Prologue. Here they are kindly received by the islanders, and for a year twice a month at feast time a tale of old is told in turn by the Greeks and the Norwegians. From these twenty-four stories twelve have been selected and here rendered for children, largely in Morris own words, and, it is hoped, in such a way that later they will turn with interest to The Earthly Paradise, the work of a distinguished poet. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Stories From the Earthly Paradise After the publication of this volume, Morris abandoned literature for a time, and became occupied in a project which had for its aim the establishment of the house beautiful by carrying the principles of pre-raphaelite art into the domain of house decoration. A factory was started for the production of artistic wall-papers, tiles, and tapestries, and for the design and manufacture of domestic utensils of beautiful and harmonious shape. Himself no mean painter and craftsman, Morris was for long the guiding spirit of the concern, and the value of the work he did, both directly by the production of beautiful objects, and indirectly by raising the standard of popular taste, cannot be ignored. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Stories From the Earthly Paradise: Retold From William Morris HE earthly paradise, written be. Tween the years 1868 and 1870, is the most important of the poems of William Morris. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Atalanta's Race: And Other Tales From the Earthly Paradise IN bringing this volume of selections from Tae Eartaly Paradise into suitable form for school reading and study, the desire of the editor has been to do whatever was possible to popularize the verse Of one of the great poets of the Victorian era. While William Morris has never been without a select circle of sincere admirers, his books have been left unread by the majority of readers, who have been deterred, it may be, by the great length of many Of his poems. When, however, he has once captured the attention of any one, the spell is never dissolved, the enchantment is never broken. The tales in Tae Eartaly Paraa'z'se, it seems to me, are particularly well suited to win the affectionate interest of younger readers, who, as a rule, care little for lyric verse, but are often enthusiastic admirers of epic poetry. Bearing this latter fact in mind, I have, in the preparation of the notes to these selections from Morris's verse, sought to give such help in elucidation as seemed need ful for the wants Of various grades of students, trusting that the beauty of the poetry and the interest Of the several narratives would foster a desire to know more intimately this great story-teller of our day. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Atlanta's Race, and Two Other Tales From the Earthly Paradise For nigh the time when first that land they won, When new-born March made fresh the hopeful air, The wanderers sat within a chamber fair, Guests of that city's rulers, when the day Far from the sunny noon had fallen away; The sky grew dark, and on the window-pane They heard the beating of the sudden rain. Then, all being satisfied with plenteous feast, There spoke an ancient man, the land's chief priest, Who said, Dear guests, the year begins to-day, And fain are we, before it pass away. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Originally published in 1868, 'The Earthly Paradise' is considered William Morris’s most popular poem. An epic poem that features legends, myths and stories from Europe, sectioned into the twelve months of the year. Usually sold in parts, Ragged Hand is publishing ‘The Earthly Paradise’ in one complete volume with a specially commissioned new biography of the author. Highly recommended for inclusion on the bookshelf of anyone with a passion for poetry. William Morris (1834 - 1896) was born in London, England. Arguably best known as a textile designer, he founded a design partnership which deeply influenced the decoration of churches and homes during the early 20th century. However, he is also considered an important Romantic writer and pioneer of the modern fantasy genre, being a direct influence on authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien. As well as fiction, Morris penned poetry and essays.