Andrew Lang - The Fairy Tale Books

Andrew Lang (1844–1912) in collaboration with his wife Leonora Blanche Alleyne (1851-1933) published The Blue Fairy Book in 1889 and it was to become the first of a series of twenty five collections of fantastical tales from around the world, ending with "The Strange Story Book" published in 1923. In this first collection we find many of the traditional favourites from the "Fairy Tale" world, including amongst others "Goldilocks", "Sleeping Beauty", "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves", Tom Thumb" "Rumpelstiltskin" and "Jack the Giant Killer". While many of these have some vestige of the narrative we may be accustomed to through many sanitised adaptations, there are many surprises! The telling of these stories in the "Blue Fairy Book" are by no means the cosy bedtime stories we might expect. You will search in vain for the three friendly bears in "Goldilocks", or the accommodating dwarves in" Snow-white". There is no attempt to soften the edges or the expunge the blood thirsty fates that befall may of the unfortunate characters. Head Stories Audio presents " The Blue Fairy Book", narrated by Simon Hester. With original music.

Andrew Lang (1844–1912) in collaboration with his wife Leonora Blanche Alleyne (1851-1933) published The Red Fairy Book in 1890 following The Blue Fairy Book of the previous year, the second volume of was to become a series of twenty five books of fantastical tales from around the world, ending with "The Strange Story Book" published in 1923. As in the first collection, The Red Fairy contains many traditional favourites including "Rapunzel, "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "The Pied Piper" ( here known as "The Ratcatcher"). While many of these have some vestige of the narrative we may be accustomed to through many sanitised adaptations, there are many surprises! The telling of these stories in the "Red Fairy Book" are by no means the cosy bedtime stories we might expect. Hideous Trolls, atrocious parenting, and gruesome deaths abound! There is no attempt to soften the edges or the expunge the blood thirsty fates that befall may of the unfortunate characters. However the universal themes of reward and punishment, the conquering power of love, faith and self-sacrifice are self-evident and are the reason that such tales never really lose their appeal. Head Stories Audio presents " The Red Fairy Book", narrated by Simon Hester. With original music.

In The Green Fairy Book, Andrew Lang continues his celebrated work of gathering fairy tales from many nations into one collection, preserving stories that have delighted generations and offering them anew to young readers-and to all who value the enduring charm of folklore. This volume, the third in Lang's famous "Coloured" Fairy Book series, draws its tales from an especially wide array of sources: French, German, Russian, Italian, Scottish, and even oral traditions from tribal cultures such as the Zulus of South Africa. Lang, though a scholar of history and literature, held a deep affection for the fairy tale. In his original introduction, he writes, "The fairy tale is the oldest form of fiction, and it may be the most enduring." He believed that fairy tales served not only to entertain but to cultivate imagination, to sharpen a child's sense of wonder, and to subtly shape moral understanding. Though some may dismiss such tales as fanciful or outdated, Lang insisted that they contain "a kind of poetry and fun which children appreciate more than people suppose." Not all of the stories have the neat, happy endings we have come to expect from the sanitised versions of Fairy Tales in the 20th Century, and quite a few have their macabre and bloodthirsty moments! Head Stories Audio presents "The Green Fairy Book" by Andrew Lang. Narration and original music by Simon Hester.