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Valuable books for the professional storyteller, educator or serious student of the storytelling arts Simply copy the title into the search box and click GO!

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Storyteller Reference

Guide to Folktales in the English Language
Ashliman, D.L. 
A guide based on the Aarne-Thompson Classification System, 

Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable and Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Chivalry and the Legends of Charlemagne 
Bulfinch, Thomas 
Written and published between 1855 and 1862, these two books encompass the myths of the Ancient world as well as the great epics, sagas and folklore of the Middle Ages, in particular, the epic tales of Arthur and the round table.

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (14th Edition - 1989) by Ivor H. Evans.

This book provides the reader with the meaning and origin of phrases and  figures in myth, history and religion. Unfortunately, the publisher is currently out of stock, but a searchable online edition is available at: http://www.bibliomania.com/Reference/PhraseAndFable/fully browsable. 

Myth, Magic, and Mystery: One Hundred Years of American Children's Book Illustration
Hearn, Micheal Patrick,  Trinkett Clark and H. Nichols B. Clark
A nice little  paperback full of  pictures from the childhood books. It is a history of American children's literature, divided into five topical essays. 

Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend,
Leach, Maria, editor   Harper & Row, 1984 (reprinted from Funk & Wagnalls, 1972)
This valuable reference book is actually more an encyclopedia than a dictionary. 

A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Books
Lima , Carolyn and John 

Storytelling Folklore Sourcebook
 Norma Livo,Norma,1991.

The Storyteller's Sourcebook: A Subject, Title, and Motif Index to Folklore Collections for Children
Margaret Read MacDonald
Neal Schuman Publishers, 1982

The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Mercatante, Anthony S.
More than 3,000 entries surveying the world's myths, fables and legends - both ancient and modern, Eastern and Western. 

The World of Storytelling
Pellowski, Anne and  H. W. Wilson, 1991 (revised edition)
An examination of storytelling in different cultures and through history. 

The Folktale
Thompson, Stith,   University of California, 1978 (reprinted from Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1946). 
An interesting review of basic tale types and how they are distributed around the world. This book also explains Thompson's research tools, the Type Index and the Motif Index, which even if you do not use, you will see them refered to in your research. 

The Storyteller's Sourcebook  
MacDonald, Margaret Read,   Neal-Schuman/Gale, 1982.
This invaluable book indexes by motif, thousands of folk tales from 556 folktale collections and 389 picture books. this is the place to find variations on a traditional tale or to research a theme in folklore of different cultures or geographical areas. this index is well worth the expense to the professional teller. A searchable CD-rom edition is reportably in preparation.An updated version is due in 2000.

Through the Eyes of a Child
 Norton, Donna E. (1995)
An excellent textbook on children's literature This newest addition comes with a disk to help make searching easier.   A good book for a teacher or librarian to have on hand.

Children & Books i
Sutherland, Zena. (9th Edition - 1996)
This standard was originally written by May Hill Arbuthnot and has been frequently revised and updated.

Index to Fairy Tales
published by Faxon, several volumes, through 1973. 
These are indexes of folktale retellings found in story collections. Invaluable for tracking down different versions of a story. Though in print, they are terribly expensive, but can be found  in the reference section of your library.  

Index to Fairy Tales: Including Folklore, Legends and Myths in Collections a multi-volume series - Volumes One, Two and Three by Norma Olin Ireland, Volume Four by Joseph Sprug, and a Suppliment by Mary Eastman - that covers a larger range.

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