3 h 44 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 92 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 92 pagesAbout this book
A king forgets the cakes, a boy holds his post, and a wish for gold brings trouble.
In Fifty Famous Stories Retold, James Baldwin gathers short tales from ancient Greece and Rome, English and Scottish history, and old legend. King Alfred hides from invaders. Robert Bruce faces defeat and doubt. Each story turns on a choice, with courage, patience, kindness or honesty at its heart.
Meet Cornelia, a Roman mother asked to show her jewels, and Androclus, a runaway slave who encounters a suffering lion. In Casabianca, a boy stays at his post during a sea battle. Baldwin keeps the words plain and the action direct, giving each person’s decision room to make its mark.
What you’ll discover
- A king brought low Follow Alfred into hiding, where a herdsman’s hut becomes a place to learn humility.
- Courage after defeat Stay with Robert Bruce as he searches for a reason to try once more.
- Friendship put to proof Meet Damon and Pythias, whose trust in each other faces a tyrant’s test.
- A wish gone wrong Discover how King Midas’s love of gold turns a treasured wish into trouble.
- Small choices that matter Consider what a cup of water means to the wounded Sir Philip Sidney.
Who will love it
For parents, teachers and grandparents who love short tales to read aloud, and adults who enjoy recalling familiar stories from history and legend. These tales offer clear lessons in courage, kindness, loyalty and honesty.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A king in hiding learns to listen
- Try again when all seems lost
- Mothers, slaves and the lion
- Loyalty and duty under pressure
- What the tales teach together
- How the stories are told
Who’s who
- King AlfredA Saxon king in hiding from Danish invaders, who has to learn humility and attention in a herdsman's hut.
- Robert BruceA Scottish leader after many defeats, who is tired and doubtful and needs a reason to try again.
- CorneliaA Roman mother who is asked to show her jewels and answers with pride in her two sons.
- AndroclusA runaway slave who hides in a wild place and meets a suffering lion.
- Damon and PythiasTwo friends in Syracuse who trust each other completely while a tyrant tests their loyalty.
- Sir Philip SidneyAn English soldier and poet, wounded in battle, who faces a small choice about a cup of water.
- King MidasA king who loves gold and makes a wish that brings him trouble.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 3 h 44 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 92 pages: 6,95 USD when you start free, 13,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 92 pages: 13,95 USD when you start free, 20,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Fifty Famous Stories Retold
by James Baldwin · 1896
A king hides in a herdsman's hut, where burning cakes teach him humility and attention.
Easy read2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Fifty Famous Stories Retold is a book of short tales for young readers, put together by the American teacher and editor James Baldwin and first printed in 1889. He took stories from ancient Greece and Rome, from English and Scottish history, and from old legend, and he wrote each one in plain, simple words.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A king in hiding learns to listen
The book opens with King Alfred, the ruler of the West Saxons in the ninth century. His kingdom is overrun by Danish invaders, and the king has to hide. He takes shelter in the hut of a herdsman, and nobody there knows who he is.
The herdsman's wife is a plain, busy woman. She is baking cakes by the fire, and she asks the stranger to watch them while she goes about her work. Alfred agrees, but his mind is far away. He is thinking about his people, his lost land and how he might win it back.
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What is Fifty Famous Stories Retold about?
It is a collection of fifty short tales from history and legend, retold in simple language for young readers. The stories feature kings, soldiers, mothers and ordinary people, and each one shows a lesson about courage, kindness or honesty.
Are the stories in Fifty Famous Stories Retold true?
Some rest on real people and events, such as King Alfred and Robert Bruce. Others come from legend or from ancient tales and may be more tradition than proven fact. Baldwin does not separate them in the text.
When was Fifty Famous Stories Retold written?
James Baldwin first published it in 1889. He wrote it as a reader for children in school and at home, drawing on tales from ancient Greece and Rome and from English and Scottish history.
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