ANDREW LANG'S FAIRY BOOKS


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The Pink Fairy Book (1897)

Preface

Table of Contents

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Preface:

All people in the world tell nursery tales to their children. The Japanese tell them, the Chinese, the Red Indians by their camp fires, the Eskimo in their dark dirty winter huts. The Kaffirs of South Africa tell them, and the modern Greeks, just as the old Egyptians did, when Moses had not been many years rescued out of the bulrushes. The Germans, French, Spanish, Italians, Danes, Highlanders tell them also, and the stories are apt to be like each other everywhere. A child who has read the Blue and Red and Yellow Fairy Books will find some old friends with new faces in the Pink Fairy Book, if he examines and compares. But the Japanese tales will probably be new to the young student; the Tanuki is a creature whose acquaintance he may not have made before. He may remark that Andersen wants to 'point a moral,' as well as to 'adorn a tale; ' that he is trying to make fun of the follies of mankind, as they exist in civilised countries. The Danish story of 'The Princess in the Chest' need not be read to a very nervous child, as it rather borders on a ghost story. It has been altered, and is really much more horrid in the language of the Danes, who, as history tells us, were not a nervous or timid people. I am quite sure that this story is not true. The other Danish and Swedish stories are not alarming. They are translated by Mr. W. A. Craigie. Those from the Sicilian (through the German) are translated, like the African tales (through the French) and the Catalan tales, and the Japanese stories (the latter through the German), and an old French story, by Mrs. Lang. Miss Alma Alleyne did the stories from Andersen, out of the German. Mr. Ford, as usual, has drawn the monsters and mermaids, the princes and giants, and the beautiful princesses, who, the Editor thinks, are, if possible, prettier than ever. Here, then, are fancies brought from all quarters: we see that black, white, and yellow peoples are fond of just the same kinds of adventures. Courage, youth, beauty, kindness, have many trials, but they always win the battle; while witches, giants, unfriendly cruel people, are on the losing hand. So it ought to be, and so, on the whole, it is and will be; and that is all the moral of fairy tales. We cannot all be young, alas ! and pretty, and strong; but nothing prevents us from being kind, and no kind man, woman, or beast or bird, ever comes to anything but good in these oldest fables of the world. So far all the tales are true, and no further.

PINK CAT'S ELOPEMENT. Asian. Japanese. Japanische Marchen und Sagen von David Brauns VIEW
PINK HOW THE DRAGON WAS TRICKED European. Greek. Griechtsche und Albanesische Marchen J. G. von Hahn. VIEW
PINK GOBLIN AND GROCER European. Danish. Hans Christian Andersen (German) VIEW
PINK HOUSE IN WOOD European. German. Grimm. VIEW
PINK URASCHIMATARO AND THE TURTLE Asian. Japanese. Japanische Marchen und Sagen von David Brauns VIEW
PINK SLAYING OF TANUKI Asian. Japanese. Japanische Marchen und Sagen. VIEW
PINK FLYING TRUNK European. Danish. Hans Christian Andersen (German) VIEW
PINK SNOW MAN. European. Danish. Hans Christian Andersen (German) VIEW
PINK SHIRT-COLLAR European. Danish. Hans Christian Andersen (German) VIEW
PINK PRINCESS IN CHEST European. Danish. VIEW
PINK THREE BROTHERS European. German. Grimm. VIEW
PINK SNOW-QUEEN European. Danish. Hans Christian Andersen (German) VIEW
PINK FIR-TREE European. Danish. Hans Christian Andersen (German) VIEW
PINK HANS THE MERMAID'S SON European. Danish. VIEW
PINK PETER BULL European. Danish. VIEW
PINK BIRD 'GRIP' European. Swedish. VIEW
PINK SNOWFLAKE European. Slavic. Contes Populaires Slaves Louis Leger VIEW
PINK I KNOW WHAT I HAVE LEARNED European. Danish. VIEW
PINK CUNNING SHOEMAKER European. Italian. Sicilianische Märchen. VIEW
PINK KING WHO WOULD HAVE A BEAUTIFUL WIFE European. Italian. Sicilianische Märchen. VIEW
PINK CATHERINE AND HER DESTINY European. Italian. Sicilianische Märchen. Laura Gonzenbach VIEW
PINK HOW THE HERMIT HELPED TO WIN THE KING'S DAUGHTER European. Italian. Sicilianische Märchen. VIEW
PINK WATER OF LIFE European. Catalan. Cuentos Populars. D. Francisco de S. Maspons y Labros. VIEW
PINK WOUNDED LION European. Catalan. Cuentos Populars. VIEW
PINK MAN WITHOUT A HEART Unknown. (without bibliography by Lang) VIEW
PINK TWO BROTHERS European. Italian. Sicilianische Märchen. Laura Gonzenbach VIEW
PINK MASTER AND PUPIL European. Danish. VIEW
PINK GOLDEN LION European. Italian. Sicilianische Märchen. Laura Gonzenbach VIEW
PINK SPRIG OF ROSEMARY European. Catalan. Cuentos Populars. D. Francisco de S. Maspons y Labros. VIEW
PINK WHITE DOVE European. Danish. VIEW
PINK TROLL'S DAUGHTER European. Danish. VIEW
PINK ESBEN AND THE WITCH European. Danish. VIEW
PINK PRINCESS MINON-MINETTE European. French. Bibliotheque des Fees et aes Genies VIEW
PINK MAIDEN BRIGHT-EYE European. Danish. VIEW
PINK MERRY WIVES European. Danish. VIEW
PINK KING LINDORM European. Swedish. VIEW
PINK JACKAL DOVE AND PANTHER African. Contes Populaires des Bassoutos. traduits par E. Jacottet VIEW
PINK LITTLE HARE African. Contes Populaires des Bassoutos. traduits par E. Jacottet VIEW
PINK SPARROW WITH SLIT TONGUE Asian. Japanese. Japanische Marchen und Sagen. VIEW
PINK STORY OF CICCU European. Italian. Sicilianische Märchen. VIEW
PINK DON GIOVANNI DE LA FORTUNA European. Italian. Sicilianische Märchen. VIEW

Laura Gibbs (laura-gibbs@ou.edu). Date: July 12, 2003 6:45 PM