A diverse new anthology that traces the meaning and magic of the sorcerer's apprentice tale throughout history

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" might conjure up images of Mickey Mouse from the Disney film Fantasia, or of Harry Potter. As this anthology reveals, however, "sorcerer's apprentice" tales--in which a young person rebels against, or complies with, an authority who holds the keys to magical powers--have been told through the centuries, in many languages and cultures, from classical times to today. This unique and beautifully illustrated book brings together more than fifty sorcerer's apprentice stories by a plethora of writers, including Ovid, Sir Walter Scott, and the Brothers Grimm. From Goethe's "The Pupil in Magic" to A. K. Ramanujan's "The Guru and His Disciple," this expansive collection presents variations of a classic passed down through countries and eras.

Readers enter worlds where household objects are brought to life and shape-shifting occurs from human to animal and back again. We meet two types of "The Humiliated Apprentice," a foolish bumbler who wields magic ineffectively and promotes obedience to authority; and "The Rebellious Apprentice" who, through ambition and transformative skills, promotes empowerment and self-awareness. In an extensive introduction, esteemed fairy-tale scholar Jack Zipes discusses the significance and meaning of the apprentice stories, the contradictions in popular retellings, and the importance of magic as a tool of resistance against figures who abuse their authority. Twenty specially commissioned black-and-white illustrations by noted artist Natalie Frank bring the stories to visual life.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice enlightens and entertains readers with enduring, spellbinding tales of sorcery that have been with us through the ages.



Preface (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) • (2017) • essay by Jack Zipes
Notes and Acknowledgments (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) • (2017) • essay by Jack Zipes
The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Harry Potter, and Why Magic Matters • (2017) • essay by Jack Zipes
Eucrates and Pancrates • (1921) • short story by Lucian of Samosata
The Story of the Brahmin Padmanaba and the Young Hassan • (2017) • short story by François Pétis de la Croix (trans. of Histoire du brachmane Padmanaba et du jeune Fyquaï 1707)
The Pupil in Magic • (1853) • poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (trans. of Der Zauberlehrling 1798)
Cornelius Agrippa's Bloody Book • (1801) • poem by Robert Southey
The Last Exorciser • (1838) • short story by Sir Walter Scott
The Book of Magic • (2017) • short story by Е. А. Чудинский? (trans. of Чернокнижник? 1864) [as by John Naaké (in error)?]
The Master and His Pupil; or, The Magic Book • (1884) • short story by Alfred Cooper Fryer
The Lady's Fifth Story • (1886) • short story by Sheykh-Zada
The Blacksmith and the Devil • (1890) • short story by Edith Hodgetts
The Rash Magician • (1916) • short story by Henry Thomas Francis
The Sorcerer's Apprentice • (1941) • short story by Richard Rostron
The Mojo • (1956) • short story by Richard M. Dorson
The Do-All Ax • (1957) • short story by Harold Courlander
Erysichthon and Mestra • (1922) • poem by Ovid
The Saga of the Well-and-Wise-Walking Khan • (1873) • short story by R. H. Busk [as by Rachel Harriette Busk]
Bhavašarman and the Two Witches • (1880) • short story by Somadeva Bhatta [as by Somadeva]
The Magician's Apprentice • (2003) • short story by Farid al-Din 'Attar
Maestro Lattantio and His Apprentice Dionigi • (2001) • short story by Giovanni Francesco Straparola (trans. of Maestro Lattantio 1551) [as by Giovan Francesco Straparola]
The Deceiver Shall Be Deceived • (1886) • short story by Pandit S. M. Natesa Sastri [as by Sanghendi Mahalingam Natesa Sastri]
The Nimble Thief and His Master • [KHM (Kinder- und Hausmärchen)? • 68] • (2017) • short story by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm (trans. of De Gaudeif un sien Meester 1819)
The Sorcerer and His Apprentice • (2017) • short story by Kazimierz Wladyslaw Woycicki (trans. of Czarownik i uczeń? 1837)
The Devil and His Pupil • (2017) • short story by Albert Schott and Arthur Schott (trans. of Der Teufel und sein Schüler 1845)
The Magic Combat • (2017) • short story by Ludwig Bechstein (trans. of Der Zauber-Wettkampf 1857)
The Teacher and His Pupil • (2017) • short story by J. G. von Hahn (trans. of Der Lehrer und sein Schüler 1864) [as by Johann Georg von Hahn]
The Tuft of Wild Beet • (2009) • short story by Giuseppe Pitrè? (trans. of La troffa di la razza 1875)
Oh, Relief! • (2017) • short story by Domenico Comparetti (trans. of Bene mio 1875)
The Magician and His Servant • (2017) • short story by François-Marie Luzel (trans. of Le magicien et son valet 1885)
Farmer Weathersky • [Norske Folkeeventyr • 57] • (1854) • short story by Peter Asbjørnsen? and Jørgen Moe? (trans. of Bonde Værskegg 1844) [as by George Webbe Dasent]
The Fisherman's Son an...