The Blue Fairy Book

It is almost impossible to envision what childhood would be like without the enchanting world of fairyland: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, giants and dwarfs, monsters and magicians, fairies and ogres — these are the companions who will thrill young boys and girls of all lands and all times, as Andrew Lang’s phenomenally successful collections of stories have proved.

From the day that they were first printed, the Lang fairy tale books of many colors have entertained thousands of boys and girls, as they have also brought pleasure to the many parents who have read these unforgettable classics to their children.

The Blue Fairy Book was the first volume in the series and so it contains some of the best known tales, taken from a variety of sources: not only from Grimm, but exciting adventures by Charles Perrault and Madame d’Aulnoy, The Arabian Nights, and other stories from popular traditions.

Here in one attractive paperbound volume — with enlarged print — are “Sleeping Beauty,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Puss in Boots,” “Trusty John,” “Jack the Giantkiller,” “Goldilocks,” and many other favorites that have become an indispensable part of our cultural heritage.

All in all, this collection contains 37 stories, all narrated in the clear, lively prose for which Lang was famous. Not only are Lang’s generally conceded to be the best English versions of standard stories, his collections are the richest and widest in range.

His position as one of England’s foremost folklorists as well as his first-rate literary abilities makes his collections unmatchable in the English language.

About The Author

Andrew Lang (1844–1912) was a Scots poet, novelist, and literary critic. He initially edited the series and wrote prefaces for its entire run, while his wife, the translator and author Leonora Blanche Alleyne, known to friends and family as Nora, assumed editorial control of the series in the 1890s ^[1]. She and other translators did a large portion of the translating and retelling of the actual stories, as acknowledged in the prefaces. Four of the volumes from 1908 to 1912 were published by “Mrs. Lang”. (Source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

It’s hard to find a modern issue of the Blue Fairy Book that is unedited/unabridged and includes ALL the original tales. The Hesperus Press edition includes all that and is illustrated! The drawings are black and white, nothing exciting, but well done and enjoyable. Really glad to have found this edition for my shelf and will be purchasing all of their Fairy Book editions! – Amazon Customer, anonymous

My kids have loved listening to me read these classics and the way they’re told in this book. Book is nicely bound paperback. Pictures aren’t the best as they are black and white, somewhat detailed, and in older fashion, but we enjoyed them all the same. Kids use their imagination more than anything so I didn’t share many pictures anyway! Worth the price for sure! – E. Jones