Title of the work
Country of the First Edition
Country/countries of popularity
Original Language
First Edition Date
First Edition Details
Bob Blaisdell, The Story of Hercules. New York: Dover Publications, 1997, 96 pp.
ISBN
Genre
Fictional autobiography
Illustrated works
Instructional and educational works
Myths
Novels
Target Audience
Crossover (8-14 yo)
Cover
Courtesy of Dover Publications, Inc.
Author of the Entry:
Allison Rosenblum, Bar-Ilan University, allie.rose89@gmail.com
Peer-reviewer of the Entry:
Lisa Maurice, Bar-Ilan University, lisa.maurice@biu.ac.il
Elżbieta Olechowska, University of Warsaw, elzbieta.olechowska@gmail.com
Robert (Bob) Blaisdell
, b. 1959
(Author)
Bob Blaisdell (b. 1959) is an American freelance author, illustrator and editor. He obtained his B.A., M.A. and PhD from the University of California. He teaches English at Kingsborough Community College (City University, New York). He also works as a reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle and Christian Science Monitor. He is a frequent contributor to Dover Publications; his other works with them include The Story of Hercules (1997), Robin Hood (1993) and Essays on Civil Disobedience (2016). He also wrote the accompanying text to Dover’s Adventures of Hercules Coloring Book, with the illustrations again done by Green. He has written a handful of historical books such as Elizabethan Poetry, Great Speeches of the 20th Century, The Civil War, and has written two books on mythology – The Story of Hercules (1997), and Favorite Greek Myths.
Blaisdell is particularly attached to Anna Karenina and advises students that if they want "a solid basis for literary studies" they "should read the Bible cover to cover" (see here, accessed: October 31, 2018).
Sources:
Profile at the lareviewofbooks.org (accessed: July 4, 2018).
Profile at the goodreads.com (accessed: July 4, 2018).
Profile at the biblio.com (accessed: July 4, 2018).
Bio prepared by Robin Diver, University of Birmingham, RSD253@student.bham.ac.uk and Allison Rosenblum, Bar-Ilan University, allie.rose89@gmail.com
Althea (Thea) Kliros
, 1935 - 2013
(Illustrator)
Born in New York, Kliros lived in many places throughout Europe. She studied art at Bennington College and Yale University School of Art and Design. Her career began with painting and while her initial focus was on fashion illustrations, it shifted to children’s books and she became an award-winning illustrator such as Best of the Year from the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia for the Greenwillow Harper Collins publication What Can you Do in The Rain? Among her works are Anne of Green Gables from Anytime Books, and The Velveteen Rabbit, The Nutcracker, and Billy Goat Gruff from Harper Festival/Harper Collins.
Sources:
Official website (accessed: June 28, 2018).
Profile at the legacy.com (accessed: June 28, 2018).
Bio prepared by Allison Rosenblum, Bar-Ilan University, allie.rose89@gmail.com
Summary
Hercules narrates his story, beginning with his birth as the mortal son of a god. He talks of how he was a child prodigy in warfare but failed at learning music. After killing the teacher that belittles him about failing at music, Hercules goes out into the world to learn what he can. After Hera challenges Zeus to prove Hercules is worthy of being immortal, Hercules jumps at the opportunity and completes twelve labours.
Analysis
Hercules narrates the story, and the narration is extremely biased and egotistic. He speaks of Hera's jealousy of himself, and how Eurystheus inherited the throne instead of him; he praises his own fearlessness and strength. Hercules says straight out that he does not value modesty and this opinion is noticeable throughout his narration as he boasts about his astounding strength and appears extremely vain at times. In his own eyes, Hercules deserves all the fame and glory he eventually received. The handful of black and white illustrations emphasizes Hercules' strength, and the book is made up of thirteen chapters, roughly one chapter per labour.
