num_pages: 320
description: In these tales third-born sons seek their fortunes, lovely princesses are blown away by gusts of wind, cunning tricksters steal treasures from dragons, wicked wizards chase after their apprentices, and wise animals help their friends… Andrew Lang was famous for his ‘Rainbow Fairy Books’ and generations of children including our introducer, the novelist A. S. Byatt, grew up reading these enchanting, and occasionally disturbing, stories. For The Pink Fairy Book, Lang drew upon a range of cultures and traditions, bringing together 41 stories from Japan, Scandinavia, Africa, Sicily and Catalonia, as well as enduring favourites including ‘The Snow Queen’ by Hans Christian Andersen and ‘The House in the Wood’ by the Brothers Grimm. Many had never appeared in any English collection before and Lang had them translated and sympathetically retold. Here, gruesome stories (a princess possessed by a demon devours her guards) have their place alongside unashamedly comic ones (three merry wives play tricks on their husbands to determine which is the most stupid) and an occasional tragic tale (the little, much-loved snow child melts away in the fire’s heat). Debra McFarlane has produced dozens of lovely pen-and-ink drawings for these stories as well as 13 full-page colour paintings. In her whimsical and delicate artworks, fairies flit mischievously through the air, woodland animals prick up their ears and beautiful maidens catch the eyes of handsome boys. This is a gorgeous edition to treasure, whether you are introducing children to these ancient and compelling stories, or rediscovering for yourself their many pleasures and hidden meanings.Classic stories included in this collection: 'The Cats' Elopement'; 'How the Dragon Was Tricked'; 'The Goblin and the Grocer'; 'The House in the Wood'; 'Uraschimataro and the Turtle'; 'The Slaying of the Tanuki'; 'The Flying Trunk'; 'The Snow-Man'; 'The Shirt-Collar'; 'The Princess in the Chest'; 'The Three Brothers'; 'The Snow-Queen'; 'The Fir-Tree'; 'Hans, the Mermaid's Son'; 'Peter Bull'; 'The Bird 'Grip''; 'Snowflake'; 'I Know What I Have Learned'; 'The Cunning Shoemaker'; 'The King Who Would Have a Beautiful Wife'; 'Catherine and Her Destiny'; 'How the Hermit Helped to Win the King's Daughter'; 'The Water of Life'; 'The Wounded Lion'; 'The Man without a Heart'; 'The Two Brothers'; 'Master and Pupil'; 'The Golden Lion'; 'The Sprig of Rosemary'; 'The White Dove'; 'The Troll's Daughter'; 'Esben and the Witch'; 'Princess Minon-Minette'; 'Maiden Bright-Eye'; 'The Merry Wives'; 'King Lindorm'; 'The Jackal, the Dove, and the Panther'; 'The Little Hare'; 'The Sparrow with the Slit Tongue'; 'The Story of Ciccu'; 'Don Giovanni de la Fortuna'.
language: English
title: Pink Fairy Book
titlecomplete: Pink Fairy Book
genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Collections, Anthologies, Classics, Childrens, Mythology, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Folklore
ratings_count: 1712
series: The Rainbow Fairy Books, Lang's Fairy Books
publisher: The Viking Press