7 h 22 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What stories wait among Switzerland’s high peaks, deep lakes, and haunted mountain passes?
In Legends of Switzerland, H. A. Guerber gathers retold folktales from a land of glaciers, lonely valleys, and walled towns. Heroes stand for freedom as mountain communities resist outside lords. These stories bring you into the imagined world of the early Swiss confederation, where the struggle to rule themselves lies at the heart of the legends.
The collection also explores spirits, saints, and haunted places, then turns to castles and towns that hold old memories. Dwarfs and wild creatures share this Alpine world with lords, ladies, and wronged peasants. A bridge over a gorge or a church tower becomes more than a landmark: it becomes a place where a story takes root.
What you’ll discover
- Mountains that shape stories Explore the steep passes, glaciers, and deep lakes that invite people to imagine explanations.
- Heroes who resist Meet mountain communities whose legends place freedom and self-rule at the centre of their world.
- The stranger Alpine world Encounter spirits of peaks and waters, dwarfs, and dark powers haunting passes and gorges.
- Stones that hold memories Discover how castles, bridges, and town gates become settings for tales of wronged people.
- A country imagined See Switzerland through the old stories its people tell about their land and identity.
Who will love it
For readers who love folklore, travel in the Alps, and the stories behind a nation's identity, and for families who enjoy tales read aloud.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The mountains shape the stories
- Heroes of freedom stand at the centre
- Spirits, saints and haunted places
- Castles and towns keep old memories
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 22 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- 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.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Leyendas de Suiza in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Leyendas de Suiza
by H. A. Guerber · 1899
Among Alpine peaks and deep lakes, meet heroes defending freedom, mountain spirits, and the lore of haunted castles.
Challenging5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Legends of Switzerland is a book of retold folktales by H. A. Guerber, an author who spent her career gathering the myths and legends of many lands for English readers. She also wrote on Greek and Roman myths, Norse tales, the legends of the Rhine and the stories of King Arthur.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The mountains shape the stories
Legends grow out of the places where people live, and Switzerland offers a great deal of material. Steep passes, glaciers, lonely valleys and deep lakes all invite explanation. In the folk imagination a strange rock, a sudden storm or a roaring torrent could never be only nature. Someone or something had to be behind it.
Because the country is made of many valleys, each often cut off from the next, local stories multiplied. Villages kept their own tales about a ruined tower, a spring, a bridge or a peak. Guerber gathers such stories from across the land and sets them side by side. The result is less a single plot than a map made of stories.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Leyendas de Suiza
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Legends of Switzerland about?
It is a collection of Swiss folktales retold by H. A. Guerber. It covers heroes who defended Alpine freedom, mountain spirits, saints and stories attached to castles, lakes and towns across the country.
Is Legends of Switzerland a true story?
No. These are legends and folktales, handed down over generations. Some are loosely linked to historical events, but their details are traditional and not reliable history. Guerber retells them for general readers.
Who was H. A. Guerber?
She was a writer and teacher who retold myths and legends for English readers. Besides this book, she wrote on Greek and Roman myths, Norse tales, Rhine legends and the stories of King Arthur.
The author
H. A. Guerber
1859–1929 · American historian and mythologist
H. A. Guerber was Hélène Adeline Guerber, an American writer who lived in the United States from 1859 to 1929. She wrote books about history, mythology, and legends. Her works included The Story of the Greeks (1896), Legends of Switzerland (1899), and The Book of the Epic (1913).
More by H. A. Guerber
All 4 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
