George MacDonald

A Victorian fairy tale that has enchanted readers for more than a hundred years: the magical story of Diamond, the son of a poor coachman, who is swept away by the North Wind -- a radiant, maternal spirit with long, flowing hair -- and whose life is transformed by a brief glimpse of the beautiful country -- at the back of the north wind. It combines a Dickensian regard for the working class of mid-19th-century England with the invention of an ethereal landscape.

Dancing princesses, golden eggs, and evil knights are found in this second volume of Andrew Lang's fairy tales gathered in the late 19th century
Once upon a time, in the middle of winter when the snow-flakes were falling like feathers on the earth, a Queen sat at a window framed in black ebony and sewed. And as she sewed and gazed out to the white landscape, she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell on the snow outside…
Andrew Lang began gathering fairy tales with the aim of conserving "the old stories that have pleased so many generations." This bold and eclectic anthology contains wonderful renditions of old favorites such as Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel, as well as some little-known stories like The Death of Koschei the Deathless and The Nettle Spinner. Be transported to a land full of marvels and magic: a world of enchanted forests and isolated castles; of giants, fairies, and trolls; of treasure, music, and promise. Andrew Lang's fairy books helped to lay the foundation for our continuing fascination with fairy tales as entertainment and cultural objects.