Folk Heroes and Heroines around the World, 2nd ed. Edited by Graham Seal and Kim Kennedy White. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2016. 411 p. Acid free $89.00 (ISBN: 978-1-4408-3860-6). Ebook available (978-1-4408-3861-3), call for pricing.

It seems like many recent books and movies are based either on mythic characters or folk heroes. With all the current interest in folk heroes and heroines this book should useful in identifying specific heroes and hero types.

The book begins with a meaty introductory overview of folk heroes and heroines, as well as excellent information on the scholarship on folklore, archetypes, and heroic types. The editors state that the purpose of this work is to present heroism as it exists in folklore. Subjects, real or fictional, were selected for inclusion because they were celebrated in one of the authenticated folklore traditions. The editors chose not to include gods, heroes of literary epics, sport heroes, celebrities, or cultural icons.

For the ease of the user, the book consists of two main sections: the first section has entries on major folk hero types and themes (for example, Beauty and the Beast, Dragon-Slayers, Tricksters, and Outlaws) and the second section provides information about heroes and heroines by continent. Each section is arranged alphabetically and entries vary in length from one to six columns. There are “see also” references and two to six additional reading suggestions for each entry.

Students in high school and college and general readers will find enough information in each entry to satisfy their curiosity. The geographical arrangement of the second section is particularly helpful for users who want to develop an understanding of the folk heroes and heroines from a specific region. A pronunciation guide would have been helpful for unfamiliar names. Special features include several indexes: an alphabetical index which indicates the continent, an index of heroic types, and the general index. There are a few black and white illustrations, and a few highlighted information text boxes.

Although there are books which provide information on folktales and specific types of tales, there is really nothing in print at this price that has the access points of this work. Comparing this current edition to the previous Encyclopedia of Folk Heroes (ABC-CLIO 2001) it appears that some articles like the one on John Chapman have been reprinted, although the entry’s further reading list has been updated. What is different is the arrangement and the attempt to include more heroines in this edition. The geographical arrangement of the second section is helpful. If you need a quick, ready reference answer for a specific hero, you might try www.pantheon.org/areas/heroes/articles.html for Encyclopedia Mythica.—Dona J. Helmer, Librarian, Anchorage School District, College Gate Library