The Book of Saints and Heroes

Andrew Lang, a Oxford fellow and Scotsman, had a renowned career as a poet, novelist and historian.  Andrew and his wife Leonora are both remembered best for their series of 12 fairy tale books--beginning with the Blue Fairy Book in 1889 and ending with the Lilac Fairy Book in 1910.  

These quickly became the most popular gift books of all time and remained so for several decades.  It was Andrew Lang's interest in anthropology that led him to collect and publish these folk tales from far-flung lands, most of which were unknown to English readers at the time. 

This husband and wife team next applied their highly successful formula for choosing, researching and adapting folk tales to the stories of the saints, creating The Book of Saints and Heroes in 1912, with a result that is both inspiring and fun to read. 

Add the illustrations by H.J. Ford, whose creations illuminated the Fairy Books, and you have a book which makes an ideal gift for any child.