Asgard and the Gods, Wagner, Macdowall, and Anson. Swan Sonnenschein, London, 1902
William Wagner's Asgard and the Gods is a substantial and attractively illustrated survey of Norse mythology, retelling the myths and legends preserved in the Eddas and wider Scandinavian tradition. Beginning with the creation of the world and the realms of gods, giants and men, it recounts the stories of Odin, Thor, Loki, Freya, Balder and the other inhabitants of Asgard, together with the heroic legends of figures such as Sigurd and the Nibelungs, culminating in Ragnarök and the renewal of the world. Adapted into English by M. W. Macdowall from Wagner's German work, it became a popular Victorian introduction to Northern mythology and remained sufficiently successful to reach this seventh edition by 1902. It explores the same Old Norse-Icelandic literary tradition that would become an important scholarly and imaginative influence upon J. R. R. Tolkien and other twentieth-century writers.
Asgard and the Gods; The Tales and Traditions of Our Northern Ancestors, forming a Complete Manual of Norse Mythology. Adapted from the work of Dr. W. Wagner, by M.W. Macdowall, and edited by W.S.W. Anson.
Published by Swan Sonnenschein, London. Seventh edition, October 1902.
A good red cloth hardback with striking printed pictorial cover design to front and spine. Interestingly this particular copy (and it is not the only copy we have seen like this from this particular edition), has a printing error. At a glance the green printed figures on the front cover seem to be just part of the normal design, but these were actually intended to be detailed in gilt, which is clearly absent.
Covers with some light soiling and wear, and with a small collector's numbered sticker near the head of spine. Some bumping to head and tail of the spine. Soundly bound, although endpapers are cracked at inner hinge at the rear cover.
The text pages are bright and clean throughout, with many attractive illustrations. Text block with gilt top edge.
Text in English.
xvi + 326pp, including Plates.
Weight approximately 854g.
Dimensions: Approximately 218mm high x 150mm wide x 35mm deep.