Other editions of book The Blue Fairy Book: Complete and Unabridged

How is this book unique?Unabridged (100% Original content)Formatted for e-readerFont adjustments & biography includedIllustratedAndrew Lang's Fairy Books (also known as Andrew Lang's "Coloured" Fairy Books or Andrew Lang's Fairy Books of Many Colors) are a series of twelve collections of fairy tales, published between 1889 and 1910. Each volume is distinguished by its own color. In all, 437 tales from a broad range of cultures and countries are presented. Andrew Lang (1844–1912) was a Scots poet, novelist, and literary critic. Although he did not collect the stories himself from oral primary sources only Madame d'Aulnoy and Lang had collected tales from such a large variety of sources, which made the collections immensely influential. Lang gave many of the tales their first appearance in English. As acknowledged in the prefaces, although Lang himself made most of the selections, his wife and other translators did a large portion of the translating and retelling of the actual stories. According to Anita Silvey, "The irony of Lang's life and work is that although he wrote for a profession—literary criticism; fiction; poems; books and articles on anthropology, mythology, history, and travel…he is best recognized for the works he did not write."

“Andrew Lang and his associates managed to break the stranglehold of the pious sentimentality handed out to children by collecting—from all over the world—fairy tales of all people, and bringing out the volumes we all know and love.”—Kirkus ReviewsThe first installment of Andrew Lang's widely read classics and arguably his best known, The Blue Fairy Book has been admired time and time again, enchanting readers with its carefully crafted prose and eclectic assortment of fairy tales. Originally published in 1889, this collection of celebrated tales has stood the test of time. Some of the famous stories included are:Sleeping BeautyRumpelstiltzkinBeauty and the BeastHansel and GretelPuss in BootsGoldilocksAnd many more!This beautiful edition comes complete with the original illustrations by Golden Age Illustrator Henry J. Ford and is the perfect gift to pass on these timeless classics to the next generation of readers and dreamers.The imaginations of children throughout time have been formed and nurtured by stories passed down from generation to generation. Of the countless genres of stories, fairy tales often conjure the most vivid fantastical worlds and ideas, which cultivate creativity and bring elements of magic back into the real world. Many of these fairy tales have been collected over time into hundreds of memorable collections. However, the ones commonly considered most notable are the Fairy Books compiled by famous Scottish novelist and poet Andrew Lang.

Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a king whose palace was surrounded by a spacious garden. But, though the gardeners were many and the soil was good, this garden yielded neither flowers nor fruits, not even grass or shady trees. The King was in despair about it, when a wise old man said to him: “Your gardeners do not understand their business: but what can you expect of men whose fathers were cobblers and carpenters? How should they have learned to cultivate your garden?” “You are quite right,” cried the King. “Therefore,” continued the old man, “you should send for a gardener whose father and grandfather have been gardeners before him, and very soon your garden will be full of green grass and gay flowers, and you will enjoy its delicious fruit.” So the King sent messengers to every town, village, and hamlet in his dominions, to look for a gardener whose forefathers had been gardeners also, and after forty days one was found. “Come with us and be gardener to the King,” they said to him. “How can I go to the King,” said the gardener, “a poor wretch like me?” “That is of no consequence,” they answered. “Here are new clothes for you and your family.” “But I owe money to several people.” “We will pay your debts,” they said. So the gardener allowed himself to be persuaded, and went away with the messengers, taking his wife and his son with him; and the King, delighted to have found a real gardener, entrusted him with the care of his garden. The man found no difficulty in making the royal garden produce flowers and fruit, and at the end of a year the park was not like the same place, and the King showered gifts upon his new servant.

Thirty-seven of the most familiar fairy tales. The loveliest collection of fairy stories that was ever printed is here, edited by Andrew Lang. These fairy tales are the old standard ones that have pleased and enchanted the children for generations, and will be treasured as a classic of English literature. This book is fully illustrated and includes tales like The Bronze Ring, Prince Hyacinth And The Dear Little Princess, East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon, The Yellow Dwarf, Little Red Riding Hood, The Sleeping Beauty In The Wood, Cinderella, Or The Little Glass Slipper and many more.

The Blue Fairy Book (1889) The book assembled a wide range of tales, with seven from the Brothers Grimm, five from Madame d'Aulnoy, three from the Arabian Nights, and four Norwegian fairy tales, among other sources. 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.

Andrew Lang's Fairy Books or Andrew Lang's "Coloured" Fairy Books constitute a twelve-book series of fairy tale collections. Although Andrew Lang did not collect the stories himself from the oral tradition, the extent of his sources, who had collected them originally (with the notable exception of Madame d'Aulnoy), made them an immensely influential collection, especially as he used foreign-language sources, giving many of these tales their first appearance in English. As acknowledged in the prefaces, although Lang himself made most of the selections, his wife and other translators did a large portion of the translating and telling of the actual stories. The Blue Fairy Book assembled a wide range of tales, with seven from the Brothers Grimm, five from Madame d'Aulnoy, three from the Arabian Nights, and four Norse stories, among other sources.