The Blue Fairy Book

About the book

This anthology edited by Andrew Lang brings familiar tales such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Rumpelstiltzkin together with less familiar adventures from different literary and folkloric sources. Its range includes magical helpers, forbidden actions, impossible tasks, deceptive appearances, and journeys that require persistence or ingenuity. The stories do not share one original author or cultural setting, and their English presentation reflects a historical project of selection and adaptation for readers. Comparing them reveals recurring patterns without making every moral or outcome identical. A promise may protect someone in one tale and expose them to danger in another. The collection's pleasure lies in that variety, allowing a recognizable narrative shape to become surprising again through the particular obstacle, companion, or transformation placed within it.

• Enchantment
• Ingenuity
• Promises and tests

Why read it

For a varied gathering of wonder tales that makes familiar patterns newly interesting through differences of setting, danger, and response.

Fairy-tale anthology edited by Andrew Lang · English text