Lewis Spence offers a richly atmospheric journey through the legends of the Rhine, arranged in geographical order so the reader seems to travel from the river's mouth to its source. Drawing on local research and careful selection, he aims to recover the romantic force of these stories and restore the sense of history, folklore, poetry, and mystery that gives the Rhine its enduring spell. More than a river, the Rhine emerges here as a symbol of German identity, a frontier of memory, and a living treasury of myth, haunted by dwarfs, elves, castles, valleys, and dark waters. Spence also shows how the Rhine inspired patriotic feeling, especially through "Die Wacht am Rhein" and the example of Bismarck. At the same time, the legends reflect the river's own landscape: bright, wine-lit romances from sunny slopes, and tragic tales born of forests, cliffs, and convents. The result is a vivid tribute to the Rhine's beauty, national meaning, and lasting power over the imagination, ending in the echo of Byron's farewell lines. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.