It is almost impossible to envision what childhood would be like without the enchanting world of fairyland. Tales of fearless younger sons, changeling animals, treacherous step-mothers giants and dwarfs, monsters and magicians, fairies and ogres—these are the companions who thrill young boys and girls of all lands and times, as Andrew Lang's phenomenally successful collections of stories have proved. From the day that they were first printed, the Lang fairy tale books of many colors have entertained thousands of boys and girls, as they have also brought pleasure to the many parents who have read these unforgettable classics to their children.
The Yellow Fairy Book is a wonderful collection of tales from over the world. There are such familiar old favorites as the Story of the Emperors New Clothes, The Tinder-box, How to Tell a True Princess, and The Nightingale. There are less familiar tales by Madame d'Aulnoy and from the collections of Andersen and Grimm. Many tales come from Hungary, Poland, and Russia, and there are German, French, and English stories, too. Three are traditional tales of the American Indians, and three others come from Iceland.
All in all, this collection contains 48 stories, all narrated in the clear, lively prose for which Lang was famous. Not only are Lang's generally conceded to be the best English versions of standard stories, his collections are the richest and widest in range. His position as one of England's foremost folklorists as well as his first-rate literary abilities makes his collections unmatchable in the English Language.
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