9 h 13 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 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
For curious readers, parents and teachers who enjoy folklore, myth and strange facts, and love finding many tales in one place. Its clever heroes, huge foes and stories of giant bones invite wonder about the very large.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Myth gave giants their first homes
- Legends turn giants into neighbours
- History records very tall people and big claims
- Science explains size and what bones can tell
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A Book of Giants
by Henry Wysham Lanier · 1922
Clever heroes face huge foes as myth, legend, history and science reveal why size is no guarantee of victory.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
A Book of Giants is a collection of giant lore gathered by Henry Wysham Lanier, an American editor and author who put together books for young and general readers. It brings together tales of huge beings from several sources: myth, legend, history and science.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Myth gave giants their first homes
Almost every old culture has giants in its earliest stories. In myth they often stand for the raw forces of nature. They are mountains that walk, storms that shout and seas that rise up. Tales of this kind often place giants before humans, as the older and rougher powers that the world had to master.
A collection like this one draws on the great mythologies, especially those of Greece and the northern lands, where giants play large roles. The Greek tales include one-eyed monsters and huge beings who fought the gods. Northern stories speak of frost giants and mountain giants who live at the edge of the human world.
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What is A Book of Giants about?
It is a collection of giant stories and lore drawn from myth, legend, history and science. It shows how different peoples have imagined very large beings, and how real discoveries relate to those tales.
Who wrote A Book of Giants?
Henry Wysham Lanier, an American editor and author who compiled books for young and general readers. He was the son of the poet Sidney Lanier.
Is A Book of Giants a true story?
No single story runs through it. It is a collection that mixes myth and legend with history and science, so some parts are old tales and others are accounts of real facts.
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.
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