This is an 1881 compilation of Thomas Bulfinch's previous writings: The Age of Fable, or Stories of Gods and Heroes (1855); The Age of Chivalry, or Legends of King Arthur (1858); and Legends of Charlemagne, or Romance of the Middle Ages (1863)."Our work is not for the learned, nor for the theologian, nor for the philosopher, but for the reader of English literature who wishes to comprehend the allusions so frequently made by public speakers, lecturers, essayists, and poets, and those which occur in polite conversation.".