12 Books in 1: Andrew Lang's Complete "Fairy Book" Series. The Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Pink, Grey, Violet, Crimson, Brown, Orange, Olive, and Lilac Fairy Books. Traditional Folk Tales and Fairy Stories From Around The World. - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0954840151 ISBN 13: 9780954840150

Publisher: Shoes & Ships & Sealing Wax Ltd, 2006

Synopsis

Fairy tales are the oldest stories in the world. They were first made by adults who were childlike for their own amusement, and so they amuse children still, and also grown-up people who have not forgotten how they once were children. The stories in these books are borrowed from many countries; some are French, some German, some Russian, some Italian, some Scottish, some English, one Chinese. However much these nations differ about trifles, they all agree in liking fairy tales. The reason, no doubt, is that men were much like children in their minds long ago, long, long ago, and so before they took to writing newspapers, and sermons, and novels, and long poems, they told each other stories, such as you read in the fairy books. They believed that witches could turn people into beasts, that beasts could speak, that magic rings could make their owners invisible, and all the other wonders in the stories. Then, as the world became grown-up, the fairy tales which were not written down would have been quite forgotten but that the old grannies remembered them, and told them to the little grandchildren: and when they, in their turn, became grannies, they remembered them, nd told them also. In this way these tales are older than reading and writing, far older than printing. (Unexpurgated edition of Andrew Lang's Complete "Fairy Book" Series, including The Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Pink, Grey, Violet, Crimson, Brown, Orange, Olive, and Lilac Fairy Books. "The Rose Fairy Book" is not included in this anthology, because the stories it contains can be found in the Grey, Brown, Pink, Lilac and Orange Fairy Books.)

About this title

About the Author

A historian, translator, journalist, lecturer, biographer, anthropologist, poet, and author Andrew Lang was born in Selkirk, Scotland on 31 March 1844, to Jane Plenderleath Sellar and John Lang. An avid folklorist, Lang's Fairy Book series contain dozens of famous fairy tales, myths, fables, legends, and nursery rhymes including "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Story of Three Bears", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Rapunzel", "Story of Wali Dad the Simple-Hearted", "The Story of a Very Bad Boy", "The Goblin Pony", "The Norka", "Schippeitaro", and "The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok". He fell in love with magic, myth and folklore from his childhood days spent in the land of William Wallace and Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Highlanders; fishing and trekking through the rich geography and reading works of William Shakespeare, Madame d'Aulnoy, and Sir Walter Scott. With his wife Leonore Blanche Alleyne, Lang in adapted and translated many stories originating from numerous locations including Africa, China, India, Europe, North America, Japan, Russia, etc.

Lang himself authored many fiction and non-fiction works such as Prince Prigio and Prince Ricardo of Pantouflia, as well as historical texts including A Short History of Scotland. He penned his views on religion, myths, and magic under such titles as Custom and Myth, Myth, Ritual, and Religion, and The Making of Religion.

From the Back Cover

"Who's there?"

Little Red Riding-Hood, hearing the big voice of the Wolf, was at first afraid; but believing her grandmother had got a cold and was hoarse, answered:

" 'Tis your grandchild, Little Red Riding-Hood, who has brought you a custard and a little pot of butter mamma sends you."

The Wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could: "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up."

Little Red Riding-Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened.

The Wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the bed-clothes: "Put the custard and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come and lie down with me."

Little Red Riding-Hood undressed herself and went into bed, where, being greatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked in her night-clothes, she said to her:

"Grandmamma, what great arms you have got!"

"That is the better to hug thee, my dear."

"Grandmamma, what great legs you have got!"

"That is to run the better, my child."

"Grandmamma, what great ears you have got!"

"That is to hear the better, my child."

"Grandmamma, what great eyes you have got!"

"It is to see the better, my child."

From the Inside Flap

For two days Aladdin remained in the dark, crying and lamenting. At last he clasped his hands in prayer, and in so doing rubbed the ring, which the magician had forgotten to take from him.

Immediately an enormous and frightful genie rose out of the earth, saying: "What wouldst thou with me? I am the Slave of the Ring, and will obey thee in all things."

Aladdin fearlessly replied: "Deliver me from this place!" whereupon the earth opened....

Edition details

• Publisher: Shoes & Ships & Sealing Wax Ltd
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0954840151
• ISBN 13: 9780954840150
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 828
• Editor: Lang Andrew