Old Hungarian Fairy Tales

by Emmuska Orczy, Montagu Barstow (Illustrator)

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy, Folklore, Folk Tales, Fairy Tales

158 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1895

About the author

Full name: Emma ("Emmuska") Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orczi was a Hungarian-British novelist, best remembered as the author of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1905). Baroness Orczy's sequels to the novel were less successful. She was also an artist, and her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London. Her first venture into fiction was with crime stories. Among her most popular characters was The Old Man in the Corner, who was featured in a series of twelve British movies from 1924, starring Rolf Leslie.

Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, as the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner, Liszt, and Gounod. Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London, learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. In London she studied at the West London School of Art. Orczy married in 1894 Montague Barstow, whom she had met while studying at the Heatherby School of Art. Together they started to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales.

Orczy's first detective stories appeared in magazines. As a writer she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to the introduction, this is a translation of Baroness Orczy's childhood favorite book, undertaken as a labor of love to share it with her English language readers. It's a nice collection, and strikingly filled with ATU709 (Snow White) tales.

[Lalla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool read. I love fairytales so much!

[Dayna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of classic fairy tales from the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel. This is a wonderful selection of fairy tales from Hungary. One can't, however, miss the similarities to other more familiar tales. It is interesting how similar stories seem to pop up in so many various cultures.

[Jaide · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories were hit-and-miss.

Favorite: “Forget-Me-Not”. Sort of a Snow White story except with a jealous older sister, and having to be a bat so that the sad, lonely prince cannot recognize her.

Least Favorite: “Mr. Cuttlefish’s Love Story”. A cuttlefish in love with a young mermaid tries to become the royal musician despite his lack of talent, but the mermaid queen takes pity on him anyway.

[Alan Lampe · Rating 4 out of 5]

These eight tales from Hungary provide a wonderful education of how other people in the world tell the same story you were told growing up. The same lessons you learned from American fables are here. It is an easy and fun read. You'll enjoy it!

[Sarah Morgan Sandquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would've happily given this book 4 stars if the editing was not so poor. Although the stories were charming, there were multiple cases of letters being substituted with Asian characters.

[luiloth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories found here:
http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php...

[Asaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and rather engaging fairy tales.