This page contains books by various authors which have been published, edited, illustrated and/or translated by Reg Down.
The Being of the Arts - Rudolf Steiner
In what was announced as a lecture Steiner instead begins to tell an extraordinary tale. It begins with two women standing in a stark and frozen landscape: one experiences the bitter cold, the other the extraordinary beauty. Both fall asleep, but while one falls into a sleep on the verge of death, the other is approached out of the sunset by a youth who says: ‘You are art’. She then undergoes a powerful set of experiences. Today we might call them vivid dreams, but that would be too passive. They are more than dreams; she performs deeds and becomes the bearer of mighty, creative impulses for the future.
This tale, told in 1909, has lost none of its originality and vividness. It is as relevant and powerful as when it was first told. It presents the reader with a series of images and beings drawn directly from the spiritual world, but in such a way that, through art, a bridge is built between the spiritual and earthly worlds.
This edition is freshly translated, with a foreword and endnotes containing illustrations and photographs of subjects and works of art mentioned in the course of the tale.
Print format: 8.5 x 5.5, 52 pages. Print version $8.95 / Kindle version $7.95
The King of Ireland's Son - Padraic Colum
I have edited, endnoted and annotated this edition especially with teachers and the North American reader in mind. This book is a standard item in the Waldorf school curriculum because of its depth and appropriateness for children in second grade. All those wonderful Celtic and Irish names have endnotes on how they are pronounced and, if possible, their meaning. Also included are the many points of literary and cultural interest so easily bypassed but which add layers of depth, meaning and often sly humor to the story. As with my other Colum titles, I have newly typeset the book, added a map covering the geography of the story and included a brief biography of the master storyteller himself.
The King of Ireland’s Son is without doubt the best of Padraic Colum’s children’s books. Originally published in 1916, this classic has stood the test of time and remains one of the greatest set of tales ever. These are no stories told by an academic or scholar, but rousing, living tales recounted from Colum’s own childhood in Ireland. There, as a boy, he heard firsthand the myths and sagas, folk and fairy tales from itinerant storytellers who wandered the roads and told their stories in exchange for a roof over their heads and a bite to eat. He was a witness to the last generation of a long tradition stretching far back into the mists of time. Colum won awards and recognition aplenty for his work in his adopted country, the United States, and for the whole of his long life he carried on the storyteller’s tradition. Even now, though he is long gone from us, his voice still sounds fresh and clear and full of life through the written text.
Willy Pogany, a Hungarian artist, was a contemporary of Colum. He illustrated this volume with a wonderful sense of artistic fantasy and playfulness.
Format: 6x9, Pages: 254, Price: $14.95. Quantity discounts apply. Purchase on Amazon
The Children of Odin: the book of northern myths - Padraic Colum
Meet Thor, Baldur, Freya, Odin and all the higher gods - and Loki too, mischief maker and clever deceiver. Filled with the most extraordinary tales of great depth, imagination and wisdom it is impossible to resist this wonderful book - and Colum's telling is outstanding. I have edited for clarity and added footnotes for unusual words, as well as including a brief biography of Padraic Colum. This version is thoroughly appropriate for children - grade 4 and up.
Willy Pogany has illustrated this edition with elegant drawings.
228 pages, 9x6 format, $12.95 Purchase book on Amazon
The Boy who Knew what the Birds said - Padraic Colum