THE GLASS MOUNTAIN

A hearty collection of Polish and Ruthenian tales recalled from Kuniczak's youth, featuring plucky peasant lads, imprisoned princesses, cruel squires, ghosts, hidden treasures, sorcerers, and plenty of demons. Jauntily told, the stories combine quick action and familiar motifs (magic shoes, tasks, journeys) with clever twists (a ``Changeling'' helps a needy family by capturing Gnawing Poverty and knocking out its teeth). Kuniczak mentions ``the marvelous geography of the fantastic,'' but there's little sense of a particular culture here, and most places and people are unnamed. Sex roles are drearily traditional (all the independent women are old witches) and, despite many happily-ever-afters, the last story—a malicious gossip teaches a devil how to ruin a marriage—ends the collection on a sour note. Still, lively and readable. Illustrated with a few mannered pen drawings. (Folklore. 11-13)