The Yellow Fairy Book

What It's About

This collection gathers forty-eight traditional tales from a wide range of folk traditions, including Hungarian, Polish, Russian, German, French, Icelandic and American sources, alongside several well-known stories by Hans Christian Andersen, such as "Thumbelina" and "The Emperor's New Clothes". The tales cover the familiar ground of the fairy tale tradition: enchanted princes, clever peasants, talking animals, wicked stepmothers and quests that test courage and kindness.

Key Concepts

As an anthology rather than a single narrative, the book's recurring themes are those of the fairy tale genre itself: transformation and disenchantment, the rewarding of humility and kindness over pride, magical helpers and animal guides, and trials that must be overcome through wit or virtue rather than force.

About the Author

Andrew Lang (1844–1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic and folklorist, widely known for his scholarly interest in myth, ritual and traditional storytelling. He is best remembered today as the compiler of the Fairy Books series, though much of the collecting, translating and adapting of the tales was carried out with the close involvement of his wife, Leonora Blanche Lang, and a number of other collaborators.