1200 YEARS AGO THE VIKINGS COLONISED FAROE, A GROUP OF BLEAK AND MOUNTAINOUS ISLANDS HALF WAY BETWEEN SHETLAND AND ICELAND. JOHN WEST HAS SELECTED AND TRANSLATED SOME SIXTY FOLK-TALES AND LEGENDS FROM THE MANY WHICH HAVE BEEN HANDED DOWN FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT. MANY OF THEM WERE NOT WRITTEN DOWN UNTIL THE 19TH CENTURY, WHEN PEOPLE SUCH AS JAKOB JAKOBSEN TRAVELLED ROUND FAROE AND COLLECTED THEM. IN THESE MARVELLOUS TALES, OFTEN WITH MORE THAN A TOUCH OF SUPERNATURAL, WE MEET TROLLS, WITCHES, GIANTS, WATER-KELPIES, TURKISH PIRATES, THE SEAL WIFE AND MANY OTHERS. BARDUR JAKUPSSON HAS PRODUCED EVOCATIVE ILLUSTRATIONS, WHICH IN A FEW STROKES TELL THE READER MORE ABOUT FAROESE TRADITIONAL LIFE AND LANDSCAPE THAN THOUSANDS OF WORDS COULD DO. MOST OF THE DRAWINGS WERE COMMISSIONED ESPECIALLY FOR THIS BOOK AND HAVE NEVER APPEARED ANYWHERE ELSE. TIGHT FIRM CLEAN CONDITION THROUGHOUT. BLACK CLOTH HARD COVER WITH SOME SLIGHT KNOCKS AND BUMPS TO EDGES. SLIGHT COCKING OF SPINE. COMPLETE JACKET SPORTING A FEW MINOR WRINKLES AND WEAR ALONG EDGES. ALTHOUGH BOOK ITSELF IS NOT SIGNED BY AUTHOR IT INCLUDES AN 8 PAGE CARBON FIRST DRAFT COPY OF A PERSONAL WORK BY JOHN FREDERICK WEST ON KALVALID AN OLD HOUSE IN THE FAROE ISLANDS AND IS SIGNED AND DATED 1983 BY WEST. THIS WORK IS AN IN DEPTH STUDY OF A BUILDING ON THE FAROE ISLANDS AND ITS IMMEDIATE ENVIRONS. THE WORK IS ACCOMPANIED BY A PERSONAL SIGNED NOTE BY WEST TO SOME FRIENDS "JIM AND LIZ" DATED 11TH SEPTEMBER, 1983. 003310