Myths, Legends and Folk Tales of Israel [7 vols.]

These tales culminate in fable-like endings, where the underdog comes out on top through self-deprecating humor and by using his head. Culled from twenty volumes covering 2,000 years of Jewish and Israeli history, the selection includes stories from Yemen, Afghanistan, Morocco, Poland, Russia, Spain and Germany, freshly retold by Adir Cohen in a voice that invigorates the classic tales. In a story distilled from many parts of the world, a king sells one of his subjects the air in his kingdom, convinced that he has managed to rob the man blind. But the man who has purchased the air then imposes a tax on windmill owners, and returns to the king years later to renew the contract. He is now a very rich man.

Fables are wrought from the story of creation: light and dark fight for control over the world, but arrive at a stalemate – twilight. In order to separate the combatants, the light becomes day, and the dark – night. Hassidic legends tell stories of simple faith in the face of dreadful odds. Tales of grandeur are passed down from the Golden Age of Spain, and stories of heroism are derived from Israel’s more recent past. Haim Ron’s woodblock, airbrush and collage illustrations are varied and vivid.