The Pink Fairy Book V/A

The Pink Fairy Book

Edited by Andrew Lang

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.

CONTENTS

PrefaceThe Cat's ElopementHow the Dragon Was TrickedThe Goblin and the GrocerThe House in the WoodUraschimataro and the TurtleThe Slaying of the TanukiThe Flying TrunkThe Snow-manThe Shirt-collarThe Princess in the ChestThe Three BrothersThe Snow-queenThe Fir-treeHans, the Mermaid's SonPeter BullThe Bird 'Grip'SnowflakeI Know What I Have LearnedThe Cunning ShoemakerThe King Who Would Have a Beautiful WifeCatherine and Her DestinyHow the Hermit Helped to Win the King's DaughterThe Water of LifeThe Wounded LionThe Man Without a HeartThe Two BrothersMaster and PupilThe Golden LionThe Sprig of RosemaryThe White DoveThe Troll's DaughterEsben and the WitchPrincess Minon-minetteMaiden Bright-eyeThe Merry WivesKing LindormThe Jackal, the Dove, and the PantherThe Little HareThe Sparrow with the Slit TongueThe Story of CiccuDon Giovanni De La Fortuna