Status
Available
Call number
Publication
The Folio Society (2010). Hardcover, 282 pages. Introduced by Alison Lurie. Bound in cloth. Illustrated by Omar Rayyan. 13 full-page colour illustrations and additional black & white embellishments in each volume. 304 pages. 10" x 71/2"
Description
Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. Folklore. HTML: The Fairy Books, or "Coloured" Fairy Books is a collection of fairy tales divided into twelve books, each associated with a different colour. Collected together by Andrew Land they are sourced from a number of different countries and were translated by Lang's wife and other translators who also retold many of the tales. The collection has been incalculably important and, although he did not source the stories himself direct from the oral tradition he can make claim to the first English translation of many. First published in 1904, The Brown Fairy Bookis the 9th volume in this series..
User reviews
LibraryThing member xicanti
A collection of fairy stories and folktales from all over the world.
As far as diversity goes, this is a good collection. Lang has compiled a wonderful assortment of stories from absolutely everywhere. The stories are nicely told, with good pacing and some lovely illustrations that really help
However, these retellings are so colonial that I often had trouble even telling where each story was set until I reached the notations at the end. These may be world stories, but they're filtered through a decidedly British worldview. There's little to no local colour or regional feel. The translations all use the same basic voice. I found it frustrating after a while. I think my personal low came when a traditional Native American story contained a description of something that was "as fat as a Christmas turkey." It really made me wonder what else had been changed to conform to the period's conception of non-European cultures.
So this is a decent collection if you're just looking for a bit of fun, and it's a nice piece of nostalgia if you used to read the coloured Fairy Books when you were small. I wouldn't recommend approaching it as a serious cultural study, though, unless you're looking at how cultural biases affect storytelling.
As far as diversity goes, this is a good collection. Lang has compiled a wonderful assortment of stories from absolutely everywhere. The stories are nicely told, with good pacing and some lovely illustrations that really help
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capture that late 19th/early 20th century conception of the fairy tale.However, these retellings are so colonial that I often had trouble even telling where each story was set until I reached the notations at the end. These may be world stories, but they're filtered through a decidedly British worldview. There's little to no local colour or regional feel. The translations all use the same basic voice. I found it frustrating after a while. I think my personal low came when a traditional Native American story contained a description of something that was "as fat as a Christmas turkey." It really made me wonder what else had been changed to conform to the period's conception of non-European cultures.
So this is a decent collection if you're just looking for a bit of fun, and it's a nice piece of nostalgia if you used to read the coloured Fairy Books when you were small. I wouldn't recommend approaching it as a serious cultural study, though, unless you're looking at how cultural biases affect storytelling.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1904
Local notes
First published in 1904. The Brown Fairy Book contains stories from the American Indians, Australian Bushmen and African Kaffirs, and from Persia, Lapland, Brazil, and India.
Includes: What the Rose did to the Cypress; Ball-Carrier and the Bad One; How Ball-Carrier finished his Task; The Bunyip; Father Grumbler; The Story of the Yara; The Cunning Hare; The Turtle and his Bride; How Geirald the Coward was Punished; Habogi; How the Little Brother set Free his Big Brothers; The Sacred Milk of Koumongoé; The Wicked Wolverine; The Husband of the Rat's Daughter; The Mermaid and the Boy; Pivi and Kabo; The Elf Maiden; How Some Wild Animals became Tame Ones; Fortune and the Wood-Cutter; The Enchanted Head; The Sister of the Sun; The Prince and the Three Fates; The Fox and the Lapp; Kisa the Cat; The Lion and the Cat; Which was the Foolishest?; Asmund and Signy; Rubezahl; Story of the King who would be Stronger than Fate; Story of Wali Dad the Simple-hearted; Tale of a Tortoise and of a Mischievous Monkey; The Knights of the Fish.
Lovely illustrations.
Includes: What the Rose did to the Cypress; Ball-Carrier and the Bad One; How Ball-Carrier finished his Task; The Bunyip; Father Grumbler; The Story of the Yara; The Cunning Hare; The Turtle and his Bride; How Geirald the Coward was Punished; Habogi; How the Little Brother set Free his Big Brothers; The Sacred Milk of Koumongoé; The Wicked Wolverine; The Husband of the Rat's Daughter; The Mermaid and the Boy; Pivi and Kabo; The Elf Maiden; How Some Wild Animals became Tame Ones; Fortune and the Wood-Cutter; The Enchanted Head; The Sister of the Sun; The Prince and the Three Fates; The Fox and the Lapp; Kisa the Cat; The Lion and the Cat; Which was the Foolishest?; Asmund and Signy; Rubezahl; Story of the King who would be Stronger than Fate; Story of Wali Dad the Simple-hearted; Tale of a Tortoise and of a Mischievous Monkey; The Knights of the Fish.
Lovely illustrations.