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Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of World History
Bestselling author of Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History now takes on the world! Skewering the nonsense we were all taught about the world's revolutions, religions, heroes, and inventors, Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of World History is a whirlwind tour of history from the Trojan War to World War II. Eclectic and fun, Richard Shenkman's well-documented revelations prove that muck of history is indeed "but a fable agreed upon."

Queen Victoria may have usually worn black, but she loved to drink and party.
During World War II the English were conned into believing it was Winston Churchill who broadcast the speech about this being their finest hour. But it wasn't Churchill, it was Norman Shelley, a radio actor hired as a stand-in.
Marie Antoinette did not say, "Let them eat cake," Churchill didn't coin the phrase "the Iron Curtain," and Caesar never said, "Et tu, Brute?"
Scandal in the English monarchy is nothing new: Fifteen kings fathered children out of wedlock. One queen helped depose her husband so her lover could take his place. Three English kings were gay.

Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of American History
The truth and nothing but the truth--Richard Shenkman sheds light on America's most believed legends:

The story of Columbus discovered that the world was round was invented by Washington Irving.
The pilgrims never lived in log cabins.
In Concord, Massachusetts, a third of all babies born in the twenty years before the Revolution were conceived out of wedlock.
Washington may have never told a lie, but he loved to drink and dance, and he fell in love with his best friend's wife.
Independence wasn't declared on July 4 (and the Liberty Bell was so little regarded that Philadelphia tried to sell it for scrap metal but nobody wanted it).
After World War II, the U.S. Government concluded that Japan would have surrendered within months, even if we had not bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Illustrated Book of Myths Tales & Legends of the World
Every culture in history has had its own myths to help explain the world through the power of story. This engaging book offers a delightful, sweeping view of world mythology--not just the famous stories of the Greeks and Romans, but also the stories of Native Americans and legends from South America, Africa, Scandinavia, Asia, and Australia. Young readers will learn about Zeus and Pandora from Greece, King Arthur from England, Maui-of-a-Thousand-Tricks from Polynesia, the Rainbow Serpent from West Africa, and dozens of other colorful, larger-than-life characters from around the world.

Haunted Castles of the World: Ghostly Legends and Phenomena from Keeps and Fortresses Around the Globe
Dark spooky castles haunted by ghosts-what could be more of a cliché? Hamlet's father's ghost, stalking the walls of Elsinore, is burned into the mind of every high school literature student. Yet haunted castles do exist, and not just on lonely Scottish moors or German hillsides! On every continent, from the Gothic keeps of Europe, to the exotic battlements of old Japan, to the lonely Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town, such places can be found.

In HAUNTED CASTLES OF THE WORLD, Charles A. Coulombe takes the reader on a global tour of such places, examining the legends and the phenomena that have gained them the reputation for being "haunted." These are all places that are accessible to the public-all to visit, some to stay in. You will learn what haunts them, where it haunts them, and-if known-why it haunts them. Some even come with a variety of ghosts. Whether you are planning an overseas vacation, or hunkering down in your favorite chair on a dark and stormy night, you are sure to find something in these pages to chill you.

The Hummingbird King : A Guatemalan Legend
(Legends of the World)
A young chief who had been protected by a hummingbird is killed by his jealous uncle and then transformed into a quetzal, symbol of freedom.

The Golden Slipper : A Vietnamese Legend
(Legends of the World)
This charming tale of a poor rice farmer's daughter reaching out to her destiny is a fascinating variation of the Cinderella story.

The Legends of the World opens readers' minds to the diverse cultures of Native America, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and the Americas through enchanting tales passed down through countless generations. Each book in the series features geographical, historical, and cultural information. Illustrated in full color.