The Red Fairy Book

First published in 1890, this volume in the coloured fairy-book series collects wonder tales from French, Romanian, Norse, and other sources, retold in English for family reading. Typical pieces include stories of youngest sons, enchanted animals, cruel stepmothers, and quests for fire or a bride; some come from the Norse Sigurd cycle, some from Madame d'Aulnoy and other French tellers. There is no connecting frame and no single hero. The language is uniform literary English rather than a dialect transcript. The book is a mixed anthology of traditional narrative, not an original novel.

Bound in red cloth blocked with a design by Puttapipat in green, black, gold and white. Green endleaves printed with a gold design. Red slipcase.