Paperback, 1977, 286 pages. Good used/vintage condition. Cover shows wear and scuffs but pages are intact and there are no creases to the spine. Stamp inside the front cover indicates this is a former school textbook; that said, it doesn't look as though it was ever checked out (see pics). :) "Nine great myths of the Western world, from Beowulf to El Cid. Goodrich relates these myths to their background, tracing their development from tales told by the light of ancient campfires to the masterpieces of literature that hold deep and intense meaning for modern humankind. This book is the first collection to compare national heroes at a time when their cultures were emerging from barbarism into civilization, demonstrating how their reverberations have deeply affected the ideals of the nations from which they came This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and part of the knowledge base of Western Civilization." Fun fact: The author was a scholar and professor who, from translating ancient documents, believed that King Arthur was not just a legend but an actual historical figure. In her interpretation, Queen Guinevere was a Pictish queen, and Sir Lancelot was a Scottish king. Her peers have pooh-poohed this idea but she stuck to it until her death. I don't remember what I paid for this copy but the original price in 1977 was $2.25 (about $12 today), so I went with that for the listing.