This early work by Franz Boas was originally published in 1916 and we
are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'The
Development of Folk-Tales and Myths' is an anthropological work on the
origins and progress of fiction. Franz Boas was born on July 9th 1958,
in Minden, Westphalia. Even though Boas had a passion the natural
sciences, he enrolled at the University at Kiel as an undergraduate in
Physics. Boas completed his degree with a dissertation on the optical
properties of water, before continuing his studies and receiving his
doctorate in 1881. Boas became a professor of Anthropology at Columbia
University in 1899 and founded the first Ph.D program in anthropology in
America. He was also a leading figure in the creation of the American
Anthropological Association (AAA). Franz Boas had a long career and a
great impact on many areas of study. He died on 21st December 1942.