Especially for grown-ups, this is a selection of subversive, satirical, and sophisticated fairy tales full of polished wit and prose.

Includes twenty-seven folktales from Europe, Asia, Africa, India, the Arctic, and the Americas.

Brigit ceased to sing, and there was silence for a little space in Tir-na-Moe. Then Angus said: "Strange are the words of your song, and strange the music: it swept me down steeps of air--down--down--always further down. Tir-na-Moe was like a dream half-remembered. I felt the breath of strange worlds on my face, and always your song grew louder and louder, but you were not singing it. Who was singing it?" "The Earth was singing it." "The Earth!" said the Dagda. "Is not the Earth in the pit of chaos? Who has ever looked into that pit or stayed to listen where there is neither silence nor song? " "O Shepherd of the Star-Flocks, I have stayed to listen. I have shuddered in the darkness that is round the Earth. I have seen the black hissing waters and the monsters that devour each other--I have looked into the groping writhing adder-pit of hell." The light that pulsed about the De Danaan lords grew troubled at the thought of that pit, and they cried out: "Tell us no more about the Earth, O Flame of the Two Eternities, and let the thought of it slip from yourself as a dream slips from the memory." "O Silver Branches that no Sorrow has Shaken," said Brigit, "hear one thing more! The Earth wails all night because it has dreamed of beauty."

If Orfeo is to be king, his mother decides, he must sleep outside. And so Orfeo sleeps in the meadow and becomes friends with the animals, birds, insects and beetles. Then one day, he agrees to help a jackdaw return a ruby ring to a princess... King Beetle Tamer is just one of fifteen magical wonder tales in this collection by master storyteller Isabel Wyatt. The stories are full of magic and unicorns, fairies and palaces, roses and gold, which will transport children to a world of faraway places and heroic deeds._x000D_ Suitable for children aged seven and up, this is a classic collection from the author of The Seven-Year-Old Wonder Book._x000D_ A new revised edition, previously published as King Beetle-Tamer.

A pictorial history of fairy-tale postcards from the late 19th century to the present, this volume presents a fascinating look at how key scenes of fairy tales have been rendered over time, suggesting a rethinking and reliving of the tales through the years. Full color. 12 x 12.

Scholars of cultural studies, fairy-tale studies, folklore, and television studies will enjoy this first-of-its-kind volume.

Sixteen lively tales tell of giants rumbling down mountainsides, of a magic wand that turns stone pillars into warriors, of gods and goddesses, evil hags, powerful forces, and more.

"[Dunsany's] rich language, his cosmic point of view, his remote dream-worlds, and his exquisite sense of the fantastic, all appeal to me more than anything else in modern literature."--American author H. P. Lovecraft One of English literature's most original talents, Irish writer Edward J. M. D. Plunkett, the eighteenth Baron of Dunsany, created many of the best fantastic tales in the language. This collection of 33 stories includes all of the tales from two of his finest collections, including "The Three Sailors' Gambit," "The House of the Sphinx," "The Wonderful Window," "The Bad Old Woman in Black," "The Watch-Tower," "The Three Infernal Jokes," "The Secret of the Sea," and 26 other literary gems.

Once Upon a Time… What a magical phrase that opens up a story to wonder and adventure. The Wonder Tales Volume One is a collection of all ages fantastical fables that are set in a fantasy world of Once Upon a Time, in a Land Far, Far Away known as the Ninth Kingdom. It is a world of magic, of wonder, of vain Kings, noble Heroes, beautiful Princesses, Pirates, evil Witches, scary Monsters and one very unique and smart talking Horse… The Wonder Tales Volume One, The Archer, the Horse and Other Tales collects together the first six Wonder Tales. The Archer, the Horse and the Princess The Archer, the Horse and the Golden Braid The Daughter of Frost The Archer and the Flying Pirate Ship The Girl and the Troll The Archer, the Horse and the Forgotten Quest Bonus story – I Am Wolf Read these tales to your children, or you can let them explore the wonder of reading for themselves with these magical yarns of pure imagination.