The Age of Fable

Thomas Bulfinch collected and interpreted the legends of the world for everyday people, so that those who lacked extensive schooling could still understand the mythological allusions that fill classic and contemporary literature. Bulfinch's Mythology began as three separate volumes in the 1850s and 60s. Bulfinch published The Age of Fable, or Stories of Gods and Heroes in 1855 and then moved on to publish two more collections: The Age of Chivalry, or the Legends of King Arthur in 1858; and Legends of Charlemagne, or Romance of the Middle Ages in 1863. When Bulfinch died in 1867, the three volumes were combined and retitled Bulfinch's Mythology and reprinted in 1881. It has remained one of the most trusted English-language interpretations of Greek and Roman mythology, Arthurian legend, and medieval romance ever since.