Other editions of book The Lilac Fairy Book

The Lilac Fairy Book is the last of Andrew Lang’s twelve Fairy Books, which were published between 1889 and 1910. A collection of fairy and folk tales from around the world, The Lilac Fairy Book includes “The False Prince and the True,” “The Three Crowns,” and “The Lady of the Fountain.” Assembling and translating for the first time many now-famous tales, Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books have served as inspiration for many writers including J. R. R. Tolkien, and contributed to the growth in popularity of fairy tales as a literary genre. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

Nobody really wrote most of the stories. People told them in all parts of the world long before Egyptian hieroglyphics or Cretan signs or Cyprian syllabaries, or alphabets were invented. They are older than reading and writing, and arose like wild flowers before men had any education to quarrel over. The grannies told them to the grandchildren, and when the grandchildren became grannies they repeated the same old tales to the new generation. Homer knew the stories and made up the 'Odyssey' out of half a dozen of them. All the history of Greece till about 800 B.C. is a string of the fairy tales, all about Theseus and Heracles and Oedipus and Minos and Perseus is a Cabinet des Fées, a collection of fairy tales. Shakespeare took them and put bits of them into 'King Lear' and other plays; he could not have made them up himself, great as he was. Let ladies and gentlemen think of this when they sit down to write fairy tales, and have them nicely typed, and send them to Messrs. Longman & Co. to be published. They think that to write a new fairy tale is easy work. They are mistaken: the thing is impossible. Nobody can write a new fairy tale; you can only mix up and dress up the old, old stories, and put the characters into new dresses, as Miss Thackeray did so well in 'Five Old Friends.' If any big girl of fourteen reads this preface, let her insist on being presented with "Five Old Friends."

The Shifty Lad -- The False Prince and the True -- The Jogi's Punishment -- The Heart of a Monkey -- The Fairy Nurse -- A Lost Paradise -- How Brave Walter Hunted Wolves -- The Ring of the Waterfalls -- A French Puck -- The Three Crowns -- The Story of a Very Bad Boy -- The Brown Bear of Norway -- Little Lasse -- 'Moti' -- The Enchanted Deer -- A Fish Story -- The Wonderful Tune -- The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother -- The One-Handed Girl -- The Bones of Djulung -- The Sea Ring's Gift -- The Raspberry Worm -- The Stones of Plouhinec -- The Castle of Kerglas -- The Battle of the Birds -- The Lady of the Fountain -- The Four Gifts -- The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok -- The Escape of the Mouse -- The Believing Husbands -- The Hoodie-Crow -- The Brownie of the Lake -- The Winning of Olwen.

This book is an illustrated version of the original The Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. “In the land of Erin there dwelt long ago a widow who had an only son. He was a clever boy, so she saved up enough money to send him to school, and, as soon as he was old enough, to apprentice him to any trade that he would choose. But when the time came, he said he would not be bound to any trade, and that he meant to be a thief. Now his mother was very sorrowful when she heard of this, but she knew quite well that if she tried to stop his having his own way he would only grow more determined to get it. So all the answer she made was that the end of thieves was hanging at the bridge of Dublin, and then she left him alone, hoping that when he was older he might become more sensible. “

Delightful tales for young and old. Wonderful illustrations!The Shifty Lad The False Prince and the True The Jogi's Punishment The Heart of a Monkey The Fairy Nurse A Lost Paradise How Brave Walter Hunted Wolves The King of the Waterfalls A French Puck The Three Crowns The Story of a Very Bad Boy The Brown Bear of Norway Little Lasse 'Moti' The Enchanted Deer A Fish Story The Wonderful Tune The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother The One-Handed Girl The Bones of Djulung The Sea King's Gift The Raspberry Worm The Stones of Plouhinec ]The Castle of Kerglas The Battle of the Birds The Lady of the Fountain The Four Gifts The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok The Escape of the Mouse The Believing Husbands The Hoodie-Crow The Brownie of the Lake The Winning of Olwen

Andrew Lang's Fairy Books are a series of twenty-five collections of true and fictional stories for children, published between 1889 and 1913. The best known books of the series are the twelve collections of fairy tales, known as Andrew Lang's "Coloured" Fairy Books or Andrew Lang's Fairy Books of Many Colors. In all, the volumes feature 798 stories, besides the 153 poems in The Blue Poetry Book. The Lilac Fairy Book contains stories from Portugal, Ireland, Wales, and points East and West. Stories Included Within This Book: The Shifty Lad The False Prince and the True The Jogi's Punishment The Heart of a Monkey The Fairy Nurse A Lost Paradise How Brave Walter Hunted Wolves The King of the Waterfalls A French Puck The Three Crowns The Story of a Very Bad Boy The Brown Bear of Norway Little Lasse 'Moti' The Enchanted Deer A Fish Story The Wonderful Tune The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother The One-Handed Girl The Bones of Djulung The Sea King's Gift The Raspberry Worm The Stones of Plouhinec The Castle of Kerglas The Battle of the Birds The Lady of the Fountain The Four Gifts The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok The Escape of the Mouse The Believing Husbands The Hoodie-Crow The Brownie of the Lake The Winning of Olwen

Volume 12 of Andrew Lang's classic Fairy Books Series (also known as the Fairy Books of Many Colors series), collecting treasured and beloved stories from around the world. This volume features the following tales: The Shifty Lad, The False Prince and the True, The Jogi’s Punishment, The Heart of a Monkey, The Fairy Nurse, A Lost Paradise, How Brave Walter Hunted Wolves, The King of the Waterfalls, A French Puck, The Three Crowns, The Story of a Very Bad Boy, The Brown Bear of Norway, Little Lasse, ‘Moti’, The Enchanted Deer, A Fish Story, The Wonderful Tune, The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother, The One-Handed Girl, The Bones of Djulung, The Sea King’s Gift, The Raspberry Worm, The Stones of Plouhinec, The Castle of Kerglas, The Battle of the Birds, The Lady of the Fountain., The Four Gifts, The Groac’h of the Isle of Lok, The Escape of the Mouse, The Believing Husbands, The Hoodie-Crow, The Brownie of the Lake, and The Winning of Olwen.