A Wonder Book for Girls & Boys

In Short

Six classical Greek myths are retold through a framed narrative featuring Eustace Bright, a lively college student, who entertains a group of energetic children with romanticized fables. Across the seasons, Eustace shares the adventures of Perseus hunting the Gorgon Medusa, King Midas turning his world to gold, Pandora releasing troubles into the world, Hercules seeking the golden apples, Philemon and Baucis hosting divine strangers, and Bellerophon taming Pegasus to battle the fiery Chimæra. Stripping away rigid antiquity, the work transforms ancient legends into accessible, imaginative stories that balance child-like wonder with enduring human morality.

The Story

The book opens in the Berkshire hills, where a young college student named Eustace Bright gathers a lively circle of children—including Primrose, Periwinkle, Sweet Fern, and Cowslip—to share six classical legends. Eustace frames each tale around the changing seasons, adapting the ancient myths into romantic, accessible stories that preserve their core truths while adopting a warmer, imaginative spirit.

The first tale recounts the quest of Perseus to slay the snaky-haired Gorgon Medusa. Guided by Quicksilver, Perseus cleverly tricks the Three Gray Women into surrendering their shared eye, securing the magical tools required to defeat the beast. After decapitating Medusa, whose face turns onlookers to stone, Perseus rescues his mother and uses the head to transform the tyrannical King Polydectes into marble.

Next comes the story of King Midas, whose insatiable desire for wealth leads a mysterious visitor to grant him the Golden Touch. Midas initially delights in transforming ordinary objects into precious metal, but his joy vanishes when his food turns to hard gold. The tragedy deepens when his affectionate daughter, Marygold, hugs him and is instantly petrified into a golden statue, teaching Midas that love far outweighs material riches.

Eustace then shares the tale of Pandora and Epimetheus in a youthful paradise free from illness or sorrow. Intrigued by a mysterious wooden box left in their care, Pandora succumbs to curiosity and opens it, unleashing a swarm of winged troubles into the world. However, a single gentle creature named Hope remains inside, offering humanity comfort amid its new struggles.

The narrative shifts to Hercules and his quest for the golden apples of the Hesperides. Seeking directions from the Old Man of the Sea, Hercules wrestled the shape-shifting creature until he yielded the way. Hercules then meets the giant Atlas, briefly holding up the heavy vault of the sky on his own shoulders while Atlas retrieves the fruit, before tricking the giant into taking back his eternal burden.

A gentler tone arrives with the legend of Philemon and Baucis, a poor, hospitable couple who welcome two weary travelers turned away by their cruel neighbors. The guests reveal themselves as divine beings, rewarding the couple’s generosity with a pitcher that endlessly refills with fresh milk and turning their cottage into a sanctuary, while the inhospitable village is submerged beneath a lake.

Finally, Eustace tells of Bellerophon, who seeks the winged horse Pegasus using an enchanted golden bridle. Upon taming the marvelous steed, Bellerophon soars high into the Lycian mountains to battle the terrifying Chimæra, a fire-breathing monster laying waste to the countryside. Swooping down from the sky, Bellerophon defeats the beast, earning eternal renown. The overarching story closes as Primrose playfully crowns Eustace with a laurel wreath, while he boldly predicts his retold legends will win the hearts of readers everywhere.

How It Unfolds

The quest for the Gorgon Perseus ventures into unknown lands to obtain the head of Medusa, outwitting the Three Gray Women by seizing their single shared eye to secure directions to the enchanted Nymphs. Equipped with winged slippers and a helmet of darkness, he slays the snaky-haired monster and returns home to turn King Polydectes to stone.

The curse of the Golden Touch King Midas receives a wish from a kindly supernatural stranger, asking that everything he touches be turned into gold. The gift turns catastrophic when his morning breakfast becomes inedible metal, culminating in heartbreak when he accidentally transforms his beloved daughter Marygold into a cold, golden statue.

The opening of the box In an innocent world where sorrow is unknown, young Pandora cannot resist inspecting a mysterious forbidden box kept in Epimetheus's cottage. Upon lifting the lid, she releases a dark cloud of evil miseries into the atmosphere, leaving only Hope behind at the bottom of the chest to comfort mankind.

The burden of the sky Hercules searches for the golden apples of the Hesperides, tricking the Old Man of the Sea for directions before agreeing to temporarily hold up the heavy heavens for the giant Atlas. Once Atlas returns with the fruit and attempts to shirk his duty, Hercules cleverly maneuvers the giant into taking back the sky.

The miraculous pitcher The impoverished, kindly couple Philemon and Baucis warmly welcome two disguised divine strangers into their simple cottage, sharing their humble meal after wealthy villagers set dogs upon the travelers. The hosts watch in awe as their earthen pitcher endlessly overflows with rich, fragrant milk, rewarding their unselfish hospitality.

The flight of Pegasus Bellerophon travels to Greece with an enchanted bridle to capture the winged horse Pegasus, using the marvelous steed to soar five miles above the earth toward Lycia. Together, horse and rider dive from the clouds into a sulfurous cavern to slay the three-headed, fire-breathing Chimæra.

The People

• Eustace Bright: A buoyant young college student who acts as storyteller. He seeks to spark the imaginations of his younger cousins by transforming grim classical myths into lively, romantic narratives, growing increasingly confident in his literary voice throughout the seasons.
• Perseus: A brave, polite young warrior driven to protect his mother, Danae. Confronted by lethal monsters and manipulative monarchs, he relies on civility, clever strategy, and enchanted tools to accomplish impossible feats.
• King Midas: A wealthy, discontented monarch obsessed with amassing gold. After his greed turns his precious child into an unfeeling statue, his heart softens, transforming him from a gold-obsessed miser into a father who realizes love is priceless.
• Pandora: An inquisitive young girl living in an earthly paradise. Driven by intense curiosity regarding a secret box, her choice to open it introduces trouble to the world, yet her resilient spirit finds comfort in the remaining presence of Hope.
• Hercules: A strong, kind-hearted hero tasked with obtaining three golden apples. Though willing to shoulder the weight of the entire sky to perform a favor, his sharp intellect enables him to outwit the giant Atlas when threatened with eternal servitude.
• Philemon and Baucis: A poor, selfless elderly couple who practice unconditional hospitality. What stands in their way is the cruelty of their neighbors, but their shared kindness earns them divine favor and an endless source of comfort.
• Bellerophon: A valiant youth determined to perform a beneficent deed that benefits mankind. By taming the wild, winged horse Pegasus, he overcomes the terrifying power of the Chimæra, ascending from an ambitious traveler to a celebrated hero.

In Its Own Voice

"The worst thing about these abominable Gorgons was, that, if once a poor mortal fixed his eyes full upon one of their faces, he was certain, that very instant, to be changed from warm flesh and blood into cold and lifeless stone!"

The narrator highlights the fatal power of Medusa and her sisters as Perseus prepares to track down the magical items required for his quest.

"And now, at last, when it was too late, he felt how infinitely a warm and tender heart, that loved him, exceeded in value all the wealth that could be piled up betwixt the earth and sky!"

King Midas realizes the tragic consequence of his insatiable desire for riches after his Golden Touch transforms his young daughter into a statue.

"There is nobody but myself," quoth the giant, "that can go to the garden of the Hesperides, and gather the golden apples."

The giant Atlas explains to Hercules why he must temporarily take over the immense burden of holding up the sky.

What It's Really About

At its core, the work explores how ancient mythic archetypes retain an eternal, indestructible truth that can be reshaped to reflect the morals and sensibilities of any era. By placing the fables within the warm framework of a family gathering, the text argues that storytelling serves as a vital bridge between childhood innocence and complex human realities.

Through cautionary tales of greed, curiosity, and pride, the narrative examines the balance between human vulnerability and heroic virtue. Midas learns that material accumulation pales beside human affection, while Pandora’s story demonstrates that even when human frailty releases suffering into the world, hope remains as a permanent counterweight. Ultimately, the book asserts that true heroism lies not merely in physical strength, but in kindness, hospitality, and selfless devotion.

Why Read It Today

This collection appeals to readers who appreciate classic folklore reimagined with literary warmth, rich descriptive detail, and a gentle framing narrative. It captures the cozy atmosphere of nineteenth-century fireside storytelling, making ancient mythology feel intimate, vivid, and deeply human rather than distant or academic.

Modern readers should be prepared for the deliberate pacing, elevated nineteenth-century vocabulary, and Victorian framing devices that reflect the period's narrative style. Eustace's playful banter with the children introduces an explicit moralizing layer that mirrors the educational conventions of its era, alongside romanticized depictions of classical antiquity.

What lingers long after reading is the magical atmosphere of the Berkshires intermingled with the golden light of ancient fable. The image of the winged horse Pegasus soaring through the clouds, the overflowing milk pitcher of Philemon and Baucis, and the sorrowful transformation of Marygold remain etched in the memory. The work stands as a testament to the enduring power of myth to delight, comfort, and instruct across generations.