This new (c) 2016 paperback version is the only edition available anywhere that includes a new, never before published Preface personally written by Goodrich in 1997 about living in New York and publishing her first two books, The Ancient Myths and Medieval Myths. These two books are included together here as Myths of the Hero, a large volume of the retelling of our most popular heroic myths. Myths of the Hero presents the stories of men who so clearly represented the civilizations from the most ancient down to the barbarian invasions that founded Middle Europe. These myths stretch across the gulf of ages to proclaim the common humanity of men. All of the stories in this book are original retellings and some have never before been translated. Illustrations by Nikolay Nikolenko.About the Author: Dr. Norma Lorre Goodrich, B.S., Ph.D., Litt.D., K.C., FSA Scot was a French and Comparative Literature educator and preeminent King Arthur authority. She was born in Huntington, VT on May 10, 1917 and died in Claremont, CA. on September 19, 2006. During her lifetime, her published books include King Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, Heroines, The Holy Grail, Priestesses, Ancient Myths and Medieval Myths among others. She was also Assistant Professor of French at USC and Associate Professor of French and Comparative Literature at The Claremont Colleges in the mid-1970's, eventually becoming Dean of the Faculty at Scripps College. She was invested as Dame, Knights Templar, Commandery of Nova Scotia, Scotland, a member of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, National Society Daughters of American Revolution (NSDAR) and the Royal Society of Descendants of Charlemagne. Visit www.normalorregoodrich.com from more information on the life and career of Dr. Norma Lorre Goodrich