The Green Fairy Book is the third installment in a series of global folklore anthologies edited by Andrew Lang. This 1892 collection compiles forty-two folk tales primarily sourced from French, German, Spanish, and Italian traditions, alongside stories from China and Russia. It features notable works by the Comte de Caylus, Madame d'Aulnoy, and the Brothers Grimm. Specific entries include The Three Snakes, The Blue Bird, and The Story of the Three Bears. These narratives typically follow protagonists as they navigate magical obstacles, transform into animals, or outwit supernatural adversaries to gain status or marriage.
Students of folklore and lovers of traditional fairy tales read this book to compare cultural variations of common mythic archetypes. It appeals to those looking for the darker or more complex variations found in nineteenth-century translations before modern sanitization. Readers walk away with a broader historical understanding of European oral traditions and familiarise themselves with less common legends outside the standard English canon. The inclusion of original woodcut illustrations provides a visual record of late-Victorian aesthetic interpretations of these classic myths.
Practical and clear-cut; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1892
- Language
- EN
