- This edition includes the following editor's introduction: Nathaniel Hawthorne and Dark Romanticism
First published in 1851, "A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys” is a children's book by American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne in which he retells some legends of Greek mythology. In 1853 "A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys” was followed by a sequel, “Tanglewood Tales.”
In 1838, Hawthorne suggested to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that they collaborate on a story for children based on the legend of the
Pandora’s Box, but this never materialized. But in 1851, Hawthorne set out deliberately to modernize the stories, freeing them from what he called “
cold moonshine” and using a romantic, readable style that was criticized by adults but proved universally popular with children.
The collection is a re-writing of six well-known Greek myths. The tales are “
The Gorgon’s Head,” “
The Golden Touch,” “
The Paradise of Children,” “
The Three Golden Apples,” “
The Miraculous Pitcher” and “
The Chimaera.”
