An aesthetic educational resource that teaches beginners how to read original Spenser
A beautiful A beautiful way way to begin to begin aa lifelong lifelong reading journey reading journey
IT’S A NEW APPROACH TO CLASSIC LITERATURE. “We hand high school students gorgeous science and math textbooks that build confidence and curiosity. Yet with classic literature, they receive dry, cheap, cramped, unimaginative texts. “Social media influencers promoting worthless plastic products invest more time in beauty than many publishers invest in the world’s greatest books. This must change. “When we hand students a beautiful book, without saying a word, we show them that a story is worth their focus in a world riddled with distraction.” Rebecca K. Reynolds retired classical educator
IT’S A TEACHING TOOL. This lavishly illustrated rendering offers: Incremental Learning
Structured to introduce more of Spenser’s language as the books progress. Students
finish prepared and motivated to read the original Text-Faithful Prose
Overseen by Renaissance scholars, the prose works line-by-line through Spenser's 1590s epic, preserving the structure, tone, and meaning of the original while making his stories accessible to modern readers A Scholarly Primer
Introduces simplified elements of academic reading (including footnotes, close textual analysis, and research methods) to help young readers develop essential literary skills
IT’S WORKING. “I bought them for my 18-year-old daughter and me, but once my boys flipped through the gorgeous illustrations of knights and dragons and high adventure, they’ve been begging me to make this our next read-aloud. “Reynolds has made Spenser wonderfully accessible and appealing even to teenaged and pre-teen boys!” Rick M, Amazon review
“The work put in by the author, illustrator, and other team members is plain to see, and the books are structured in a way that feels effortless to read, but is clearly the result of a very long creative process. The story is well written, and the author's delightfully nerdy footnotes keep you grounded through the deeper themes. I'm almost through volume one, and I already can't wait to try to tackle the original work once I'm done.” Dan W., Amazon review
IT’S BRIDGING THE GAP. “I’ve wanted to read it, but between the length and obscurity of the language, it’s just been too hard.”... “They’re gorgeously designed books, and I actually feel upset in reading them that such an amazing story has been inaccessible to me my whole life, and intensely grateful that this person took up the project of remedying that.” Scottie Cunningham, Amazon review
“With every page I read, I am more impressed at the care taken to create this clear, enjoyable, and faithful prose translation of Spenser’s beautiful poem. It is a scholarly work that provides a door into a literary masterpiece without reducing it, while its storytelling is such that I would not hesitate to read it aloud to students or to my grandchildren.” Becky D, Amazon review
Key Advisors: Steven W. May, PhD
English Renaissance Literature University of Chicago
Jonathan Rogers, PhD
Seventeenth-Century Literature Vanderbilt University
Lindsey Panxhi, PhD
Medieval and Arthurian Studies University of Arkansas Extensive list of academic references available at www.faeriequeene.com
READERS LOVE IT. “The Faerie Queene is one of the most important texts of English literature, and also for the fantasy tradition that I so deeply cherish and personally belong to; but it is without doubt a difficult book, especially for those without practice reading 16th-century English poetry. So the need for a version that can introduce readers to the text, and serve both to prepare them to tackle the original or be the way they can engage this great text, is quite real. “This version accomplishes that task admirably. Apart from the lack of Spenser's peculiar and charming poetic meter, it felt like reading Spenser. The atmosphere, the feel of the characters, the very air of faerie: all were present and familiar. It is very readable, yet as it progresses it moves in the direction of Spenser's original, slowly training you to be able to read the unaltered text. The illustrations are lovely, and the whole thing is wonderfully and lovingly bound.” Junius Johnson, PhD, Amazon review “I always wanted to read The Faerie Queene, but I could barely get past the first book in Edmund’s original! I’m currently on volume two of the prose version. I feel that now that I know what’s going on, I’ll be able to read Spenser’s original work with greater ease. “The books are also very high quality. I’m a bit of a book snob, and I love to hold these volumes. Reynolds’s footnotes that refer to Spenser, her editing choices, and Spenser scholars are very helpful. I’m delighted that Reynolds did NOT make a revised version of Spenser for ‘modern audiences,’ but she is careful to explain the context and reasoning for some things that might offend fragile modern sensibilities. Highly recommend!” Jeffery, Amazon review “I'm so thankful to finally get to read the story that inspired and shaped all Western fairy tales. It has always intimidated me, but now I can learn the stories through this unabridged translation to my own language.” Amy, Amazon review
“I was blown away when this came in the mail. As a former English major and English teacher this was a must have. The pictures don't do it justice. If you are a collector of books, you are going to want to own this one.” Alyssa, Amazon review
Many have attempted to read Spenser’s original masterpiece only to retreat, daunted by language that was deliberately archaic even in Elizabethan times. Classical educator Rebecca K. Reynolds bridges this gap, crafting a prose adaptation that gradually introduces more of Spenser’s distinctive vocabulary and diction. By the final volume, readers will find themselves prepared to engage directly with Spenser’s original text with confidence and delight. This text-faithful, line-by-line prose rendering transports modern readers into a vast narrative tapestry. Knights traverse diverse fantastical landscapes including the shadowy depths of an enchanted forest, a treacherous underwater lair, a mysterious subterranean kingdom, and the deadly Bower of Bliss. Through these realms stride Spenser’s unforgettable knights―brave yet fallible, powerful yet vulnerable―as they confront ferocious monsters, cunning wizards, beguiling enchantresses, and even encounter young Prince Arthur, who wanders Faerie Land consumed by his passion for Gloriana, the elusive Faerie Queene.
FREE 21-PAGE RESOURCE PACK
WEBSITE: WWW.FAERIEQUEENE.COM ISBN: 978-1963559170 CONTACT: RKReynolds@skyturtlepress.com