The Violet Fairy Book Paperback - 1966

Name: The Violet Fairy Book (Dover Children's Classics)
Price: 12.49 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Lang, Andrew
ISBN: 9780486216751

by Andrew Lang

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This seller has earned a 4.11 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.

4.11 / 5 (1543 total reviews)

From the day that they were first printed, the Lang fairy tale books of many colors have entertained thousands of boys and girls as well as their parents. In THE VIOLET FAIRY BOOK, we hear strange and exotic tales from the far corners of the earth, but they are told in the common language of the fairy tale, familiar to children and grownups alike. An unabridged republication of a 1901 first edition. 33 plates. 33 illustrations.

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Reader reviews for The Violet Fairy Book

Review summary

This seller has earned a 4.11 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.

4.11 / 5 (1543 total reviews)

Readers praised this volume’s sweeping, multicultural range—especially its Eastern European focus with notable African and Japanese tales—alongside standout stories like The Girl Who Pretended to Be a Boy, The Lute Player, Stan Bolovan, A Tale of the Tontlawald, and The History of Dwarf Long Nose. H. J. Ford’s illustrations drew frequent admiration, and many highlighted strong female protagonists and inventive variations on familiar motifs. Criticisms centered on uneven quality, repetitiveness, grim or odd episodes, and dated, sometimes misogynistic attitudes; some also challenged the editor’s preface for imperialist overtones and minimizing women’s labor. Despite caveats, it was broadly deemed entertaining, imaginative, and best suited to older children and adults as read-aloud material.

Readers say this book is:

multiculturalimaginativeenchantingunevenrepetitivedated attitudesstrong heroinesvivid illustrationsgood read-aloudentertaining

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From the publisher

Roumania, Japan, Serbia, Lithuania, Africa, Portugal, and Russia are among the sources of these 35 stories that tell of a haunted forest, chests of gold coins, a magical dog, and a man who outwits a dragon. Perhaps the best English versions available of these classic stories. 74 illustrations.

From the rear cover

Bewitched and haunted forests, chests of gold coins magically gained, giants and dwarfs, monsters and magicians, fairies and ogres--these are the companions who thrill young boys and girls around the world, as Andrew Lang's phenomenally successful collections of stories have proved. In The Violet Fairy Book, we encounter strange and exotic tales from the far corners of the earth--Japanese, Serbian, Lithuanian, African, Portuguese, Rumanian, and Russian. A magical dog called Schippeitaro helps his Japanese master; a man outwits a dragon in a Rumanian tale; and a Swahili story tells about a youth who visits the King of the Snakes. Lang's compilation, with its rich narratives and vivid imagery, captures the heart of folklorists and kindles the love for storytelling in readers of all ages.