Other editions of book The Happy Prince

In a town where a lot of poor people suffer, a swallow who was left behind after his flock flew off to Egypt for the winter meets the statue of the late "Happy Prince", who in reality has never experienced true happiness. Viewing various scenes of people suffering in poverty from his tall monument, the Happy Prince asks the swallow to take the ruby from his hilt, the sapphires from his eyes, and the golden leaf covering his body to give to the poor. As the winter comes and the Happy Prince is stripped of all of his beauty, his lead heart breaks when the swallow dies as a result of his selfless deeds and severe cold. The statue is then torn down and melted leaving behind the broken heart and the dead swallow. These are taken up to heaven by an angel that has deemed them the two most precious things in the city. This is affirmed by God and they live forever in his city of gold and garden of paradise.

THE HAPPY PRINCE AND OTHER STORIESShimmering tales of imaginative brillianceOscar Wilde, writer of genius and flamboyant exponent of the Aesthetic Movement, was born in Dublin in 1854. Famous for his sharp wit and shrewd social observation, he took London by storm with a series of sparkling comedies, among them his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest. Yet his popularity was short-lived. An unsuccessful libel case led to his imprisonment and he died in self-imposed exile in France in 1900.

Lovingly edited by Cassie Seddon, this is a beautiful new edition of Wilde's fairy tale.The Happy Prince was first published in 1888 and Oscar Wilde wrote it, along with his other fairy tales, for his two young sons Vyvyan and Cecil. It is just as important now as it was when it was written and it's impossible not be moved by the beautiful ending, or by the generosity and selflessness of the statue and the swallow. The story also contains a warm humour that young and old will enjoy and so is a gentle introduction to satire for those having it read to them as a bedtime story! (Its town councillors are probably still arguing.) Cassie Seddon provides an entertaining and personal 'editor's introduction' and Peter Davies has created a memorable image of The Happy Prince in his 'golden' days.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt. He was very much admired indeed. “He is as beautiful as a weathercock,” remarked one of the Town Councillors who wished to gain a reputation for having artistic tastes; “only not quite so useful,” he added, fearing lest people should think him unpractical, which he really was not. “Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince?” asked a sensible mother of her little boy who was crying for the moon. “The Happy Prince never dreams of crying for anything.” “I am glad there is some one in the world who is quite happy,” muttered a disappointed man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. This text refers to the Bibliobazaar edition.