This book is based on The Centhini Story, the condensed, English-language translation of the original 12-volume Serat Centhini, one of Indonesia’s oldest surviving manuscripts. Stories of place origins like How the Progo River got its name, of moral lessons like The case of the diamond beads and The three evil monarchs, and stories that teach the Javanese art of love like Secrets of sex play, Secrets to the heart of a woman, and Three things that can make a marriage fail are threaded into this rich tapestry of Javanese culture, legends and mysticism.