9 h 13 minAudiobook8 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 if the boulder across the valley is more than a stone—it is the beginning of a giant’s tale?
In A Book of Giants, Henry Wysham Lanier gathers tales of huge beings from myth, legend, history and science. Rather than follow a single plot, this collection moves among different kinds of giant lore, exploring how people tell stories of the very large and why those stories last.
Myth presents giants as raw forces of nature. Folk legend brings them closer, onto nearby hills, where a boulder, lake or bridge can carry a tale of enormous strength. Accounts from chroniclers, travellers and showmen turn toward unusually tall people, while science asks what discoveries and bones can tell us about size.
What you’ll discover
- Giants in early myths Meet huge beings who stand for the raw forces of nature in old stories.
- Legends close to home Explore village traditions where giants throw boulders, dig lakes and build bridges.
- Tall people, big claims Discover how chroniclers, travellers and showmen bring unusually tall people into the record.
- What bones can tell Turn from legendary strength to the questions science raises about size and discoveries.
- Many paths to wonder Follow the same fascination through myth, folk legend, recorded history and natural science.
Who will love it
Perfect for lovers of Greek and Norse myth, Arthurian romance, fairy tales and folklore, and for parents who want bedtime stories from many lands, with a surprising dash of science.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- People invented giants and then mocked them
- Zeus and his allies battle the Titans
- Orion walks the sea and seeks love
- Odysseus needs wit against Polyphemus
- Thor learns that giants can fool even gods
- Proud giants of Mexico and Guatemala defy the gods
- Og and Goliath stand against Israel
- Knights hunt giants to prove their worth
- Folk tales and science bring giants down to earth
Who’s who
- ZeusHidden as a baby on Crete, he grows up to fight the Titans and the giants for control of heaven.
- OrionA giant hunter raised by a farmer, he walks through deep water and keeps losing the women he loves.
- OdysseusThe clever king of Ithaca, he is trapped in a Cyclops's cave and must find a way out with his men.
- PolyphemusA one-eyed Cyclops shepherd who ignores the gods and the rules of hospitality and eats his guests.
- ThorThe red-haired thunder god of Asgard, he carries a hammer and travels to the giants' land with Loki.
- RolandCharlemagne's proudest paladin, he fights the Moorish giant Ferragus, whose skin is almost impossible to pierce.
- King ArthurThe warrior king of Britain, he climbs a dangerous mountain alone to face a giant who has seized a duchess.
- FinnLeader of the Irish Feinne, he gathers seven men with special talents to rescue stolen children from a giant.
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
- 9 h 13 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 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 Un livre de Géants 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.
Un livre de Géants
by Henry Wysham Lanier · 1922
Odysseus faces a one-eyed giant in a sealed cave.
Medium level5–10 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
Odysseus enters a one-eyed giant's cave, where strength alone offers little hope. It is one of the giant tales in the twenty-five chapters of A Book of Giants, gathered by Henry Wysham Lanier.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
People invented giants and then mocked them
Lanier opens with a playful idea. In their youth, people loved giants so much that they made more of them than nature supplied. In the frozen North, giants came before the gods. In Greece, they sprang up just after the Olympians and fought Zeus for his throne.
The preface offers a few small proofs that giants are human at heart. Ea-Bani, a huge wild man from a clay-tablet tale found at Nineveh, lives among animals until King Gilgamesh sends a beautiful woman to stand quietly near his hiding place. At the sight of her, the mighty creature follows her to the city. In Vienna, dwarfs gathered with giants for an empress and teased and robbed them until guards had to protect the big men.
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 Un livre de Géants
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 A Book of Giants about?
It is a collection of giant stories from Greek and Norse myth, the Bible, Arthurian romance, and folk tales from Ireland, Serbia, Japan, Korea and native North America, ending with real tall people and what science says about them.
Who are the main giants in the book?
The best known are Typhon, Orion, Polyphemus, Skrymir, Og of Bashan, Goliath, Ferragus, Gogmagog and Saint Christopher, along with the troll-wife and giant that Grettir fights in Iceland.
Is A Book of Giants based on true stories?
The first three parts come from myth, scripture, legend and folklore. The last part deals with real people, such as Irish show giants and Prussian guards, plus the medical study of gigantism.
The author
Henry Wysham Lanier
1873–1958 · American author
Henry Wysham Lanier was an American author who lived in the United States. He was born in 1873 and died in 1958. He was a son of the poet Sidney Lanier. He wrote and edited books, including A Book of Giants, which was published in 1922.
More 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
