Moon Lore

Harley, TimothyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 433K words
Chapters: 44

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Moon Lore by Timothy HarleyAuthor: Harley, Timothy,Language: English, Class: GR: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation: Folklore, Release Date: Nov 10, 2008

Editor's review

This book is a compilation of lunar folklore by Timothy Harley, belonging to the fields of folklore studies and geographical anthropology, issued as an e-book by Project Gutenberg. Centered on the moon, it surveys folk beliefs, legends, festivals, and symbolic meanings from various regions, gathering scattered oral materials in one place so readers can see how different cultures understand the same moon. Its value lies not in proposing new theories but in the organization and juxtaposition of materials: readers can treat it as a sourcebook or as an introductory reader in comparative folklore. Written in English and published relatively early, its style carries the flavor of Victorian scholarly essays with abundant quotations, requiring patience in reading. Suitable for readers interested in folklore, mythology, and cultural anthropology, as well as for looking up moon-related motifs when writing or researching. Best used for desk reference and topical reading rather than as a casual story collection.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in folklore and mythology who want to learn about moon legends
Those who need to look up moon motifs for writing or research
Traditional culture enthusiasts who enjoy comparing folk beliefs across cultures
Readers with good English reading ability who can accept old-style scholarly essays

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic theoretical monographs or the latest research findings
Readers who prefer light stories and lack patience for compilation-style writing
Ordinary readers who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation

Reading tips

Read the table of contents first and select chapters related to a particular region or festival for topical reading.
Keep a notebook and jot down similarities and differences in moon symbolism across cultures for comparison.
When encountering quotations and old-fashioned expressions, skip the details and grasp the material's overall thread before returning for close reading.
Read alongside introductory books on mythology and festival customs to fill in background knowledge.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or an academic work?

It is not a novel but a compilation of folklore materials, organizing legends, beliefs, and customs about the moon from various regions by theme, written in the style of early scholarly essays; reading it is closer to consulting materials than reading stories.

Can I read it if my English is not good?

The original is in English and was published early with abundant quotations, so readers with weaker English will find it difficult. The Gutenberg edition is a free e-book and can be read with a dictionary or bilingual tools; if you only want to understand the content, you can first look for relevant Chinese overviews.

Is it suitable for research citation?

It can serve as a source of线索 for moon motifs and folklore materials, but since it was published early, its views and materials need to be checked against contemporary research. It is best treated as a material index; verify original sources and subsequent research before citing.

Should I read it from cover to cover?

Not necessarily. The materials are spread out by theme, and reading straight through can be tiring. A more effective approach is to look at the table of contents, choose a topic, read selectively according to interest, and take comparative notes.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Harley, Timothy Author · British

Timothy Harley was a nineteenth-century British writer about whom little is publicly known; the details of his life are largely obscure, and he is remembered chiefly for a single work of folklore. His book Moon Lore gathers and organizes folk tales, beliefs, and customs associated with the moon, reflecting the Victorian interest in collecting and arranging folk materials. Judging from the available information, his writing leans toward documentary compilation and cross-cultural comparison, bringing scattered lunar stories and ideas into a fairly systematic narrative frame, in a leisurely essayistic scholarly style typical of the nineteenth century. The work is still cited in studies of lunar folklore and comparative mythology, and remains a useful source for understanding early modern ideas about the moon.