The Crimson Fairy Book

From myths of magicians recorded on papyrus in Ancient Egypt to the stories preserved by Perrault in 17th-century France, the allure of the fairy tale is universal. First published in 1903, The Crimson Fairy Book was the eighth in Lang’s Rainbow Fairy Book series. Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy introduces, while Tim Stevens’s vibrant illustrations capture the magic of winged chimeras, valiant princes and fearsome dragons. Alongside these fantastical tales, The Crimson Fairy Book contains animal stories to rival Kipling: in ‘The Colony of Cats’, a little girl is adopted by a feline household; ‘The Six Hungry Beasts’ explains why foxes have white tips on their tails. Classic stories included in this collection: 'Lovely Ilonka'; 'Lucky Luck'; 'The Hairy Man'; 'To your Good Health!'; 'The Story of the Seven Simons'; 'The Language of Beasts'; 'The Boy who could keep a Secret'; 'The Prince and the Dragon'; 'Little Wildrose'; 'Tiidu the Piper'; 'Paperarello'; 'The Gifts of the Magician'; 'The Strong Prince'; 'The Treasure Seeker'; 'The Cottager and his Cat'; 'The Prince who would seek Immortality'; 'The Stone-Cutter'; 'The Gold-Bearded Man'; 'Tritill, Litill and the Birds'; 'The Three Robes'; 'The Six Hungry Beasts'; 'How the Beggar Boy turned into Count Piro'; 'The Rogue and the Herdsman'; 'Eisenkopf'; 'The Death of Abu Nowas and of his Wife'; 'Motikatika'; 'Niels and the Giants'; 'Shepherd Paul'; 'How the Wicked Tanuki was Punished'; 'The Crab and the Monkey'; 'The Horse Gullfaxi and the Sword Gunnfjöder'; 'The Story of the Sham Prince, or the Ambitious Tailor'; 'The Colony of Cats'; 'How to find out a True Friend'; 'Clever Maria'; 'The Magic Kettle'.