My dear children, some of you have heard already of the old Greeks; and all of you, as you grow up, will hear more and more of them. Those of you who are boys will, perhaps, spend a great deal of time in reading Greek books; and the girls, though they may not learn Greek, will be sure to come across a great many stories taken from Greek history, and to see, I may say every day, things which we should not have had if it had not been for these old Greeks....

The protagonist is Tom, a young chimney sweep, who falls into a river after encountering an upper-class girl named Ellie and being chased out of her house. There he appears to drown and is transformed into a "water-baby", as he is told by a caddisfly-an insect that sheds its skin-and begins his moral education. The story is thematically concerned with Christian redemption, though Kingsley also uses the book to argue that England treats its poor badly,...

In 1874, the Anglican socialist and advocate of "muscular Christianity" looked at England and saw that "tens of thousands...lead sedentary and unwholesome lives, stooping, asphyxiated, employing as small a fraction of their bodies as their minds." This book compiles his thoughts on improving the physical and spiritual health of the nation.

The inspiring adventures and stirring deeds of three of the greatest heroes of mythology spring to vivid life in these pages. Charles Kingsley, author of The Water-Babies and one of the Victorian age's most brilliant storytellers, recounts for young readers the legendary feats of Perseus, Jason, and Theseus.

Rash and angry in his vow to slay Medusa the Gorgon, Perseus is cunning and patient in his quest. With the help of Athené's

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