David Leeming

James Baldwin was one of the great writers of the last century. In works that have become part of the American canon—Go Tell It on a Mountain, Giovanni's Room, Another Country, The Fire Next Time, and The Evidence of Things Not Seen—he explored issues of race and racism in America, class distinction, and sexual difference. A gay, African American writer...

Medusa literally petrifies: her face turned the ancients to stone. For Perseus and his patriarchal culture, she was a dangerous female monster that had to be destroyed; for Dante, she was the erotic power that could destroy men. Freud saw in her hair a nest of terrifying penises signalling castration. Yet in our time, Medusa's reputation has improved: feminists see...

Tales of the Earth is a comprehensive yet concise overview of Native American mythologies. After outlining theories of the origins of Native North Americans, David Leeming considers the creation myths of many tribes, emphasising four commonly occurring figures: the Great Spirit, the trickster, the goddess and the hero. Leeming suggests that in addition to these figures, Native American mythologies have...