The Langs'' Fairy Books are a series of 25 collections of true and fictional stories for children by Andrew Lang and his wife, Leonora Blanche Alleyne published between 1889 and 1913.The Blue Fairy Book: The book assembled a wide range of tales, with seven from the Brothers Grimm, five from Madame d''Aulnoy, three from the Arabian Nights, and four Norwegian fairytales, among other sources. The Blue Fairy Book was the first volume in the series, and so it contains some of the best known tales, taken from a variety of sources.Here in one attractive volume are "Sleeping Beauty," "Rumpelstiltskin," "Beauty and the Beast," "Hansel and Gretel," "Puss in Boots," "Trusty John," "Jack the Giantkiller," "Goldilocks," and many other favorites that have become an indispensable part of our cultural heritage.All in all, this collection contains 37 stories, all narrated in the clear, lively prose for which Lang was famous. Not only are Lang''s generally conceded to be the best English versions of standard stories, his collections are the richest and widest in range. His position as one of England''s foremost folklorists as well as his first-rate literary abilities makes his collections unmatchable in the English language.
