The greatest fairy tales of all time.
The 100 tales collected here throw open wide the gates to the realm of fairyland. Inside are princes and princesses, giants and dwarfs, heroes, heroines, simpletons, rogues, wizards, witches, ogres, trolls, elves, magical artefacts, and all manner of talking birds and beasts.
As G. K. Chesterton has observed, fairyland is a place where happiness hangs upon a single thread: “Cinderella may have a dress woven on supernatural looms and blazing with unearthly brilliance; but she must be back when the clock strikes twelve. The king may invite fairies to the christening, but he must invite all the fairies or frightful results will follow. Bluebeard's wife may open all doors but one. A promise is broken to a cat, and the whole world goes wrong… A promise is broken to a yellow dwarf, and the whole world goes wrong.”
This is also a world of contradiction and disproportion; where honesty may be a virtue, but so is the ability to tell the most outrageous lies conceivable. Here, the prize for treading on a cat’s tail, is a princess; and the penalty for expressing gratitude to a goblin, is a lifelong curse.
In compiling this anthology, we have tried to include as many “tale types” as possible, and as much of the varied landscape of the fairy world—deserts, icefields, enchanted forests, underwater kingdoms—as we could fit in. Our principal sources are the great European collections of fairy tales and folk tales as compiled by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Peter Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Perrault, Joseph Jacobs, and Alexander Afanasyev. But there are tales from further afield as well; from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
We have classified the tales thematically, and spread them evenly across ten chapters:
1) The Classic Characters: Heroes, Heroines, and their Foes
2) Birds and Beasts
3) Little; Big
4) The Ship of Fools
5) Quick Minds and Sharp Wits
6) The Royal Court
7) Into the World: Journeys, Quests, and Adventures
8) Magic and Witchcraft
9) Extraordinary Tales of Extraordinary Things
10) Tales for Winter
We hope this structure will aid readers somewhat in their explorations. At the same time, we concur with W. H. Auden, who writes, “the way to read a fairy tale is to throw yourself in.”
The Way Through the Woods — One Hundred Classic Fairy Tales
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If you have any questions, you can contact us at admin@elsinorebooks.co.uk and we'll be with you right away to help.Part 1: The Classic Characters: Heroes, Heroines, and their Foes
Cinderella
Hansel and Gretel
Rapunzel
Rumpelstiltskin
Little Red-Cap
Beauty and the Beast
Mr. Fox
Bluebeard
The Little Mermaid
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Part 2: Birds and Beasts
Cat and Mouse in Partnership
The Three Billy-Goats Gruff
The Half-Chick
Puss in Boots
The Nightingale and the Rose
The Beetle Who Went on His Travels
Drakestail
The Three Little Pigs
The Nightingale
The Ugly Duckling
Part 3: Little; Big
The Flea
The Valiant Little Tailor
Hok Lee and the Dwarfs
The History of Tom Thumb
Jack and the Beanstalk
Thumbelina
Snow-White
Anent the Giant Who Did Not Have His Heart About Him
Thumbling
The Yellow Dwarf
Part 4: The Ship of Fools
Vardiello
Hans in Luck
The Three Sillies
The Golden Goose
Honourable Minu
The Hedley Kow
Clever Hans
A Pottle o’ Brains
The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was
The Fool and the Birch-Tree
Part 5: Quick Minds and Sharp Wits
Little Claus and Big Claus
The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal
The Finest Liar in the World
Clever Gretel
To Your Good Health!
The Master Thief
Nail Soup
All Change
Clever Manka
Nasreddin Hodja and the Cauldron
Part 6: The Royal Court
Pintosmalto
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Aspenclog
Iron John
The Emperor’s New Clothes
The Frog King
Prince Hyacinth and the Dear Little Princess
Caliph Stork
The Princess and the Pea
Sleeping Beauty
Part 7: Into the World: Journeys, Quests, and Adventures
The Three Brothers
The Old Dame and Her Hen
True and Untrue
The Gold-Children
East o’ the Sun, and West o’ the Moon
Uraschimataro and the Turtle
How Six Men Got on in the World
The Three Lemons
The Broad Man, the Tall Man, and the Man With Eyes of Flame
The Seven Fathers in the House
Part 8: Magic and Witchcraft
Master and Pupil
Connla and the Fairy Maiden
The Death of Koshchei the Deathless
The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs
The Tower of Ill Luck
Godfather Death
Yallery Brown
Why the Sea Is Salt
Vasilissa the Beautiful
Enchanter and Enchantress
Part 9: Extraordinary Tales of Extraordinary Things
The Top and the Ball
The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean
The Remarkable Rocket
The Singing Bone
The Gingerbread Man
The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage
The Goat’s Ears of the Emperor Trojan
The Tinder Box
The Voice of Death
The Talking Skull
Part 10: Tales for Winter
The Snow Man
The Lad Who Went to the North Wind
The Months
The Story of King Frost
The Happy Prince
The Snow-Daughter and the Fire-Son
The Neighbour Underground
The Elves and the Shoemaker
The Fir Tree
The Golden Key