Once Upon a Time.: A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tale Illustrations

This enchanting gallery transports viewers to a fairy tale world — an ageless fantasy realm inhabited by characters from favorite folktales and depicted by renowned artists. Lovingly reproduced from rare early editions, more than 180 illustrations portray scenes from stories by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and other sources, including ancient Celtic and Norse legends. Breathtaking art, dating from 1882 to 1923, captures the genius of 23 illustrators, including Arthur Rackham, Gustave Doré, Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen, Warwick Goble, and Walter Crane.
The imaginative interpretations include vignettes from "Sleeping Beauty," "Cinderella," "Rumpelstiltskin," "Puss in Boots," "The Snow Queen," and scores of other familiar and lesser-known tales. The illustrations, many of which are brilliantly colored, full-page images, appear with a caption that includes the artist's name, the story from which it's drawn, and a descriptive line or direct quotation from the tale. Book lovers of all ages will rejoice in this treasury and its happy marriage of fine art and fairy tales.

Dover cover design artist Jeff A. Menges specializes in fantasy art and has edited books on the work of Edmund Dulac, Warwick Goble, and Arthur Rackham, including Arthur Rackham's Fairy Tale Illustrations in Full Color.