Gift A Book For Christmas 3 – Folio Society Fairy Tales
My Fascination with Fairy Tales
The Folio Society has a long standing tradition of publishing Fairy Tales with the highly collectable Andrew Lang Fairy Books and most of the popular collections superbly illustrated by the finest illustrators. It is probable that Fairy Tales were originally written mainly for adults with some for children and over time these have been diluted to primarily a younger audience although who doesn’t enjoy reading one to the children.
I once read a fascinating article by Allison Parkinson where she wrote “A good story deserves a great introduction and, for me, there can be no better beginning than: ‘Once upon a time…’
It’s magical, it’s exciting – it’s a password that will grant you entry to ancient lands inhabited by heroes and villains, wicked witches, dragons, giants and genies. Extraordinary scenarios will unfold before you as you witness the characters’ experiences and adventures. And all of this is certain because of those four simple words.” Folk and fairy tales are found in all cultures across the globe and they all seem to start and end with very particular phrases. Many introductions refer to an ancient, unspecified time, for example, ‘on an old day, in the old times’, ‘at the beginning of time’ or ‘at a time already long past’. Others refer to distant, dream-like locations such as ‘behind seven lands and seas’ or ‘beyond seven mountains and seven forests.’
Selected Fairy Tales
The Brothers Grimm are among the best-known storytellers of folk tales, and popularized stories such as “Cinderella”, “The Frog Prince”, “The Goose-Girl”, “Hansel and Gretel”, “Rapunzel”, “Rumpelstiltskin”, “Sleeping Beauty”, and “Snow White”. This superb Folio Society edition is beautifully illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
This facsimile of the 1913 edition contains 17 of his most famous tales, including ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘The Snow Queen’ and ‘The Ugly Duckling’. The original illustrations by William Heath Robinson capture all the magic of the text making this the perfect way to enjoy this master storyteller.
A superb collection of fairy tales first published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1910, with additional tales from earlier translations. Contains the stories of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Puss in Boots and more together with the superb illustrations by Edmund Dulac.
Some familiar favourites, such as Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rumpelstiltskin are believed to date back thousands of years to a time before many modern languages even existed. And different versions of the same root story can be found all over the world.
Albert Einstein was certainly a fan of the fairy tale. He once said: “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there was a moral that needed to be taught, or a child that needed putting to bed, or a traveler who needed to be entertained. As long as humans have existed, we have crafted stories to tell to ourselves and to others; we are perpetually surrounded by them. When we are awake, we read, we watch, we listen. When we are asleep, we dream.
You can purchase them at Folio Society Fairy Books
You can also purchase them at Folio Society Fairy Tales
Read More at The Enduring Fascination of Fairy Tales
Why Fairy Tales Matter at Read Here
