Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Folio Society (2012). Bound in olive buckram. 296 pages. Book size:10" x 7½". Frontispiece and 12 colour illustrations and 13 black-and-white drawings.
Description
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.
User reviews
LibraryThing member nmhale
This collection of fairy tales is similar to the first that I read, The Yellow Fairy Book, in that it amasses a wide range of fairy and folk tales from various countries in Europe and Asia (with occasional forays into other continents). The two differences I noticed were 1) that a lot more of these
Actually, I really appreciated the fairy tales that came from India and Africa. You start to become accustomed to the tropes and themes of European fairy tales, and while I love them (that's why I read them!), it's nice to read stories from other cultures that have different emphasis, values, and stock characters. For a girl born and raised on fairy tales, it's funny how little of them I actually remember reading, and I enjoy adding to my knowledge by reading through this series.
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tales came from countries not previously covered, like India, and 2) although the book is the same size as the Yellow Fairy Book, the print is much larger, so that the content is about half as much as the previous. It seems that Lang was ranging farther afield to find new stories for his series, and finding less material. I didn't mind, though, because the tales were just as much fun as before, and if you read the entire collection then you still have quite a treasure trove of fairy tale lore. Actually, I really appreciated the fairy tales that came from India and Africa. You start to become accustomed to the tropes and themes of European fairy tales, and while I love them (that's why I read them!), it's nice to read stories from other cultures that have different emphasis, values, and stock characters. For a girl born and raised on fairy tales, it's funny how little of them I actually remember reading, and I enjoy adding to my knowledge by reading through this series.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1907
ISBN
no isbn
Local notes
First published in 1907. The Olive Fairy Book includes unusual stories from Turkey, India, Denmark, Armenia, the Sudan, and the pen of Anatole France.
In ‘The Satin Surgeon’, a resourceful princess outwits her wicked sister with an artful disguise. Little Maia’s adventures take her high above the Earth, carried by a swallow, while the Green Knight is saved from death by a soup made from snakes. ‘The Story of Little King Loc’ was adapted by Andrew Lang’s wife from L’Abeille, written by the French poet M. Anatole France.
Kate Baylay's exotic Art Deco-inspired illustrations are delightful.
Contents: Madschun; The Blue Parrot; Geirlug The King's Daughter; The Story of Little King Loc; A Long-Bow Story; Jackal or Tiger?; The Comb and the Collar; The Thanksgiving of the Wazir; Samba the Coward; Kupti and Imani; The Strange Adventures of Little Maia; Diamond Cut Diamond; The Green Knight; The Five Wise Words of the Guru; The Golden-Headed Fish; Dorani; The Satin Surgeon; The Billy Goat and the King; The Story of Zoulvisia; Grasp All, Lose All; The Fate of the Turtle; The Snake Prince; The Prince and the Princess in the Forest; The Clever Weaver; The Boy Who Found Fear At Last; He Wins Who Waits; The Steel Cane; The Punishment of the Fairy Gangana; The Silent Princess.
In ‘The Satin Surgeon’, a resourceful princess outwits her wicked sister with an artful disguise. Little Maia’s adventures take her high above the Earth, carried by a swallow, while the Green Knight is saved from death by a soup made from snakes. ‘The Story of Little King Loc’ was adapted by Andrew Lang’s wife from L’Abeille, written by the French poet M. Anatole France.
Kate Baylay's exotic Art Deco-inspired illustrations are delightful.
Contents: Madschun; The Blue Parrot; Geirlug The King's Daughter; The Story of Little King Loc; A Long-Bow Story; Jackal or Tiger?; The Comb and the Collar; The Thanksgiving of the Wazir; Samba the Coward; Kupti and Imani; The Strange Adventures of Little Maia; Diamond Cut Diamond; The Green Knight; The Five Wise Words of the Guru; The Golden-Headed Fish; Dorani; The Satin Surgeon; The Billy Goat and the King; The Story of Zoulvisia; Grasp All, Lose All; The Fate of the Turtle; The Snake Prince; The Prince and the Princess in the Forest; The Clever Weaver; The Boy Who Found Fear At Last; He Wins Who Waits; The Steel Cane; The Punishment of the Fairy Gangana; The Silent Princess.