Perhaps no other stories have ever been told so often or listened to with so much pleasure as the classic tales of ancient Greece. For many ages, they have been a source of delight to young people and old; to the ignorant and the learned; to all who love to hear about and contemplate things mysterious, beautiful, and grand. They have become so incorporated into our language and thought, and so interwoven with our literature, that we could not do away with them now if we would. They are a portion of our heritage from the distant past, and they form perhaps as important a part of our intellectual life as they did of that of the people among whom they originated.

That many of these tales should be read by children at an early age no intelligent person will deny. Sufficient reason for this is to be found in the real pleasure that every child derives from their perusal. Attempts at analysis and explanation will always prove fatal to a child’s appreciation and enjoyment of such stories. To inculcate the idea that these tales are merely descriptions of certain natural phenomena expressed in narrative and poetic form is to deprive them of their highest charm; it is like turning precious gold into utilitarian iron; it is changing a delightful romance into a dull scientific treatise. The wise teacher will take heed not to be guilty of such an error.

According to his biography in the Junior Book of Authors (1951), James Baldwin (1841 - 1925), a native of Indiana and largely self-educated, began teaching at age 24. After several years, he became superintendent of the graded schools in Indiana, a post he held for 18 years. The last 37 years of his life, he worked with publishers—first with Harper and Brothers and later with the American Book Company. In addition to editing school books, he began writing books of his own. After the publication, in 1882, of The Story of Siegfried, he went on to write more than 50 others. His influence was widely felt because, at one time, it was estimated that of all the school books in use in the United States, over half had been written or edited by him. Unfortunately, his works are much less widely known today.