A stunning gift book drawing together legendary poems - classic and contemporary - from around the world. Compiled by bestselling anthologist Ana Sampson and illustrated throughout in black and white by award-winning former children's laureate Chris Riddell.

Folklore and tales have been the lifeblood of every culture worldwide since the beginning of time. Similarly, legends have traversed this passage, believed to have a speck of truth nestled at their heart. Heroes and Villains pays homage to the glittering royal courts and journey through ancient landscapes and perilous voyages, meeting Arthur and Guinevere, the Queen of Sheba, Kubla Khan, Robin Hood, Joan of Arc, and Mulan along the way.
In this poetry collection you will also meet mythical beings such as the phoenix, yeti, dragon and kraken, as we witness them leap from travellers' tales and compendiums into the world of verse.

Ana Sampson is the author of many bestselling anthologies including She is Fierce: Brave, bold and beautiful poems by women, She Will Soar: Bright, Brave poems of freedom by women, Tyger Tyger Burning Bright: Much Loved Poems you Half-Remember, Poems to Learn by Heart and Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Book.

Chris Riddell OBE, the 2015-2017 UK Children's Laureate, is an accomplished artist and the political cartoonist for the Observer. His books have won a number of major prizes, including the 2001, 2004 and 2016 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medals. Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse won the Costa Children's Book Award in 2013.