Hans Christian Andersen: Best Loved Fairy Tales

by Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen is one of the world's most popular storytellers, and his fairy tales are among the best[ loved works of literature. Readers the world over know his poignant tale of "The Little Mermaid", who sacrifices everything for love, and "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", whose affection for a paper ballerina is symbolized by his transformation into a small tin heart. Several of Andersen's stories are so well known -among them "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Ugly Duckling"- that their titles alone have become meaningful figures of speech.
Hans Christian Andersen: Best-Loved Fairy Tales collects one hundred of Andersen's incomparable fairy tales and stories, among them "Thumbelina", "The Little Match Girl", "The Princess and the Pea", "The Red Shoes", "The Wild Swans", and his fantasy masterpiece "The Snow-Queen". Full of laughter, love, and longing, and ranging from the whimsical to the wistful, the stories in this volume are testaments to a master storyteller unrivaled in his talent to entertain and enlighten readers.
Hans Christian Andersen: Best-Loved Fairy Tales is abundantly illustrated with more than one hundred drawings by Dugald Stewart Walker and Hans Tegner, two of Andersen's best-known illustrators. Their artwork helps to illuminate stories that still stir emotions and warm hearts more than a century after they were written.

Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Short Stories, Childrens, Anthologies

685 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1837

About the author

Hans Christian Andersen (often referred to in Scandinavia as H.C. Andersen) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories — called eventyr, or "fairy-tales" — express themes that transcend age and nationality.

Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.

Reviews

[Ama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of Anderson's best loved stories. These tales takes you into a magical world which makes the reader forget everything. The beautiful language used is mesmerizing and the illustrations are equally fascinating.

[TheBookishHobbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this collection and it was such a pleasant read! This holds one hundred of Andersen's finest works that have been loved for hundreds of years. I found his writing enchanting, and easy to engage in. Sometimes classics are written in a way that it makes our modern brains feel like they are in a slog trying to get through the story. I never felt that way with this collection! I was taken into worlds beyond my own and it was a beautiful journey at that. I will list below some of my favorite stories from the collection:

- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Ugly Duckling
- The Princess and the Pea
- The Little Mermaid
- The Jewish Girl
- The Story of a Mother

If you appreciate short stories and fantasy stories I don't think you will be disappointed by picking up Andersen's collection and giving a few of them a go. :)

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic collection of stories that are quite famous. Many have been adapted to Disney films though Disney did not stay close to the story lines. My favorite stories thus far are the emperor's new clothes, thumbelina, the little mermaid, and the ugly duckling.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate a book with so many different stories, especially since it took me almost an entire year to read this, but I'll give it a shot.

To be honest, most of these fairy tales are forgettable, pointless, and/or just feel unfinished, as if Andersen sat down to write, lost interest a couple pages in, and moved on to something else.

Some, however, are very good. It seems like the sadder the story, the better the writing—I especially enjoyed The Little Mermaid, The Traveling Companion, and The Ice Maiden. There are several more I don't remember the titles of that I'm still thinking about; some of the choices these characters have to make are especially heartbreaking. Others I remember because the moral of the story is so outdated—like the one about the husband always being right.

Andersen seems to have a thing for inanimate objects coming to life, sad trees, winter, and the wind/moon telling stories. I think the number one lesson he has to teach us, though, is to not fall in love. Hardly anything good ever happens to his characters who sought love (at least, not until they die after much suffering and get their reward in heaven).

[Jackie]

Found this at Barnes and Noble today in the Bargain Price section. I can't wait to get started reading this book. I want to compare the original stories with the Disney ones.

[Tirzah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An autobiography I recently read referenced Hans Christian Andersen's "The Flax." I was captivated by the plot, so I checked out this huge collection of his stories and read "The Flax." I also read some of his famous works (e.g., "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid") and some lesser known ones. Some stories I liked, particuarly "The Rose Elf" and "The Snail and the Rosebush." Others were okay and one in particular too dark for my taste ("The Red Shoes"- yikes!). I purposely avoided "The Little Match Girl"; that one really affected me as a child. I was not a fan of this edition's illustrations.

I recommend this collection to parents and guardians for read alouds. I did not know so many of Andersen's stories had religious undertones, which reminded me how a child's education once encompassed both the moral and academic. Over time, the religious aspects have been taken out of Andersen's stories; this is a sad thing and needs to come back, because character education and positive behavior intervention strategies are poor substitutes for teaching morals. And by the way, I blame Disney 2D animations for my always expecting happy fairy tale endings...jk!

[Cazadora De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hans Christian Andersen es uno de los clásicos que todos conocemos desde la niñez por sus cuentos llevados a varias adaptaciones a la pantalla chica y grande a lo largo del tiempo, en esta colección no sólo están sus relatos más conocidos como la sirenita, la reina de las nieves, la cerillera, Pulgarcita, el soldadito de plomo o el patito feo sino también otros que no conocía y que son igual de conmovedores como el jabalí de bronce, el chelín de plata, las cigüeñas, el gorro de dormir del solterón, entre varios más, pero mi favorito siempre será los cisnes salvajes, ya que por ese cuento llevo mi nombre (Elisa) además de que la historia es una de amor tanto familiar como romántico a pesar de que tiene sus partes oscuras, pero ese es el estilo de Andersen, pues muchos de sus cuentos no tienen un final feliz pero sí una lección de vida. Mi calificación para esta colección de cuentos es de 4.5/5 🌟 y no porque haya un cuento que no me gustara sino porque esta edición tiene errores de impresión y de ortografía que solían distraerme de la lectura, de ahí en fuera, todo bien con este libro.

[Saba Abu Farha · Rating 4 out of 5]

هل تتذكرون قصص المكتبة الخضراء التي كانت صديقة طفولتنا؟
كيف لا وهي قصص مأخوذة من هانز أندرسون كاتب قصص الأطفال الدنماركي العظيم.... الذي يشعل الخيال ويجعله بمتناول اليد.
عبر 400 صفحة حوالي خمسين قصة قصيرة نبحر في عالم الخيال المليء بالجمال. ساعات قليلة تقدح بالعقل.
تتضمَّن هذه المجموعة باقةً من قصص هذا المُؤلِّف الشهير؛ فإلى جانب القصص التي ذاعت شُهرتها في أنحاء العالم، مثل «عُقلة الإصبع»، نجد في الكتاب قصصًا أقلَّ منها شُهرةً لكن لا تقلُّ عنها متعة، مثل: «بائعة أعواد الثقاب الصغيرة»، و«ملكة الثلج». ومن المفترض أن تكون هذه المجموعة، بأسلوبها السَّلِس وأحداثها المُشوقة، مناسبةً للأطفال والكبار على حد سواء؛ حيث تُحلِّق بالخيال في عوالم الخير والجمال والطبيعة الخلَّابة، ونزعات البشر بين صراع الخير والشر، والتعرف على ثقافة الدول الاسكندنافية.
كتاب لا بد منه في مكتبة المنزل، وقد ترجم للعربية عبر مؤسسة هنداوي وتنزيله مجاني من المؤسسة. والكتاب بلغته الإنجليزية سهل... يناسب الجميع. وهو خير جليس لمن يعاني من الوحدة أو الإرهاق النفسي.

[John Peel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everybody knows at least a few Andersen stories - "The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Match Girl", "The Little Mermaid" or "The Emperor's New Clothes" - and this collection contains all of those and many, many more. The problem is that the "many more" are nowhere near as good as the best-known tales. Many are incredibly maudlin, with children dying young and going to Heaven as angels; given the infant mortality rate of the time, these are perhaps understandable, but they are very jarring to modern tastes. You would do better sticking with a "best of" collection and covering just the best of his tales.

[Betsy French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! As a child, my imagination frequently included personifying every little object in my life. Andersen does this often in his stories which was wonderful for me.

Listened to audio book narrated by Jurgen Fritsche. Was a little “choppy” and strange at times, but still very good and by no means rendered listening a chore.

[Matt Angelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always find myself coming back to this one at late nights when I'm too anxious to sleep or just eating some pastries and drinking wine and in need of company. My favourite tale is 'The Angel', 1844.

[Michelle Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, there are some boring and weird tales here. So . . . I actually only read the popular ones: Little Mermaid, Snow Queen, etc.

[Nikki]

An inanimate object or person suffers from hubris, low self-esteem, or falls in love. Something terrible happens in a bizarrely nonchalant manner. The appropriate parties are punished. We've all been morally enlightened.

It's difficult to critique stories like these, since they are the basis of so many things we know and love. Ideas about many of Andersen's subjects have been so deeply ingrained in us, it's difficult to unwind those perceptions and look at the stories for what they were in their time or to experience them as if they were brand new to us. What I'm saying is, I understand their value. But I look at this volume as something I would enjoy using more as a reference while I'm writing poetry, short stories, or essays. I attempted to read it straight through and have to admit that I didn't make it, even just reading three a day. It is just so exactly what you'd expect with only a few exceptions, a few little quips that jolt you out of the rhythm of the story.

To be honest, my reaction was, "Meh." And I so did not want my reaction to be, "Meh." Even if I was a child and I had the option to read Andersen for a bedtime story, I'd probably only want to get this out once a month. And I certainly wouldn't pick any of the numerous stories about sentient household items (btdubs, not anywhere close to as exciting as those in Beauty and the Beast). As a kid, I wouldn't have cared a fig about the moral travesties of a narcissistic darning needle.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have not finished this one and probably never will. It would take a long log time. Many of the stories are different from the versions we learned. I read some familiar ones and some I had never heard of. If we had no TV or technology, than it would make for entertaining reading for the family around a warm fireplace.

[AddyTheAnnoyingCritic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of fairytales! Most of his stories are about random objects, like a Christmas tree, a pin, a flower, ect. Others are about fairies and animals. A good amount are about good people outwitting the villain.
They are squeaky clean, too.
These stories are great, I hope you read them!

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If one writes down one’s thoughts, they are poetry."

A beautiful and endearing collection of some of the most famous fairytales of any children's lives (including Thumbelina, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Snow Queen, and The Little Mermaid).

Great bedtime stories for children or adults of any age!

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect Musical Pairing: Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
---------------------

These beautiful tales are like shards of colored glass: delicate, glittering, and razor-sharp. Hold them gently and with great care.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book full of our most cherished childhood fairytales. I enjoyed most of the fairytales that I grew up with as a kid like The Little Mermaid. If you want to read a book full of the best fairytales then pick this one up!

[Tiyana Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a great book that I pull off the shelf and randomly choose a story. I think it's fun to read when you're just relaxing.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed rereading some of my favorite fairy tales. Dear old Hans never fails to take me back to my childhood.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

CTOBER CHALLENGE: STORY TIME
Duration: October 1, 2017 to October 31, 2017
link: OCTOBER CHALLENGE: FOLKLORE
1. The Little Mermaid (pg 89-107) [Read 10/8/2017]
2. The Wild Swans (pg 334-347) [Read 10/18/2017]
3. The Ice Maiden (pg 555-563) [Read 10/26/2017]