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The Coloured Fairy Books
The Lilac Fairy Book
Over 30 tales from Portugal, Ireland, Wales, and points East and West, among them "The Brown Bear of Norway," "The Enchanted Deer," "The Story of a Very Bad Boy," and "The Brownie of the Lake."
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1910
162 people are currently reading
2883 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Lang
2,902 books556 followersTales of the Scottish writer and anthropologist Andrew Lang include
The Blue Fairy Book
(1889).
Andrew Gabriel Lang, a prolific Scotsman of letters, contributed poetry, novels, literary criticism, and collected now best folklore.
The Young Scholar and Journalist
Andrew Gabriel Lang, the son of the town clerk and the eldest of eight children, lived in Selkirk in the Scottish borderlands. The wild and beautiful landscape of childhood greatly affected the youth and inspired a lifelong love of the outdoors and a fascination with local folklore and history. Charles Edward Stuart and Robert I the Bruce surrounded him in the borders, a rich area in history. He later achieved his literary Short History of Scotland .
A gifted student and avid reader, Lang went to the prestigious Saint Andrews University, which now holds a lecture series in his honor every few years, and then to Balliol College, Oxford. He later published Oxford: Brief Historical and Descriptive Notes about the city in 1880.
Moving to London at the age of 31 years in 1875 as an already published poet, he started working as a journalist. His dry sense of humor, style, and huge array of interests made him a popular editor and columnist quickly for The Daily Post, Time magazine and Fortnightly Review. Whilst working in London, he met and married Leonora Blanche Alleyne Lang, his wife.
Interest in myths and folklore continued as he and Leonora traveled through France and Italy to hear local legends, from which came the most famous The Rainbow Fairy Books . In the late 19th century, interest in the native stories declined and very few persons recounting them for young readers. In fact, some educationalists attacked harmful magical stories in general to children. To challenge this notion, Lang first began collecting stories for the first of his colored volumes.
Lang gathered already recorded stories, while other folklorists collected stories directly from source. He used his time to collect a much greater breadth over the world from Jacob Grimm, his brother, Madame d'Aulnoy, and other less well sources.
Lang also worked as the editor, often credited as its sole creator for his work despite the essential support of his wife, who transcribed and organised the translation of the text, to the success.
He published to wide acclaim. The beautiful illustrations and magic captivated the minds of children and adults alike. The success first allowed Lang and Leonora to carry on their research and in 1890 to publish a much larger print run of The Red Fairy Book , which drew on even more sources. Between 1889 and 1910, they published twelve collections, which, each with a different colored binding, collected, edited and translated a total of 437 stories. Lang, credited with reviving interest in folklore, more importantly revolutionized the Victorian view and inspired generations of parents to begin reading them to children once more.
Last Works
Lang produced and at the same time continued a wide assortment of novels, literary criticism, articles, and poetry. As Anita Silvey, literary critic, however, noted, "The irony of Lang's life and work is that although he wrote for a profession... he is best recognized for the works he did not write," the folk stories that he collected.
He finished not the last Highways and Byways of the Border but died.
Andrew Gabriel Lang, a prolific Scotsman of letters, contributed poetry, novels, literary criticism, and collected now best folklore.
The Young Scholar and Journalist
Andrew Gabriel Lang, the son of the town clerk and the eldest of eight children, lived in Selkirk in the Scottish borderlands. The wild and beautiful landscape of childhood greatly affected the youth and inspired a lifelong love of the outdoors and a fascination with local folklore and history. Charles Edward Stuart and Robert I the Bruce surrounded him in the borders, a rich area in history. He later achieved his literary Short History of Scotland .
A gifted student and avid reader, Lang went to the prestigious Saint Andrews University, which now holds a lecture series in his honor every few years, and then to Balliol College, Oxford. He later published Oxford: Brief Historical and Descriptive Notes about the city in 1880.
Moving to London at the age of 31 years in 1875 as an already published poet, he started working as a journalist. His dry sense of humor, style, and huge array of interests made him a popular editor and columnist quickly for The Daily Post, Time magazine and Fortnightly Review. Whilst working in London, he met and married Leonora Blanche Alleyne Lang, his wife.
Interest in myths and folklore continued as he and Leonora traveled through France and Italy to hear local legends, from which came the most famous The Rainbow Fairy Books . In the late 19th century, interest in the native stories declined and very few persons recounting them for young readers. In fact, some educationalists attacked harmful magical stories in general to children. To challenge this notion, Lang first began collecting stories for the first of his colored volumes.
Lang gathered already recorded stories, while other folklorists collected stories directly from source. He used his time to collect a much greater breadth over the world from Jacob Grimm, his brother, Madame d'Aulnoy, and other less well sources.
Lang also worked as the editor, often credited as its sole creator for his work despite the essential support of his wife, who transcribed and organised the translation of the text, to the success.
He published to wide acclaim. The beautiful illustrations and magic captivated the minds of children and adults alike. The success first allowed Lang and Leonora to carry on their research and in 1890 to publish a much larger print run of The Red Fairy Book , which drew on even more sources. Between 1889 and 1910, they published twelve collections, which, each with a different colored binding, collected, edited and translated a total of 437 stories. Lang, credited with reviving interest in folklore, more importantly revolutionized the Victorian view and inspired generations of parents to begin reading them to children once more.
Last Works
Lang produced and at the same time continued a wide assortment of novels, literary criticism, articles, and poetry. As Anita Silvey, literary critic, however, noted, "The irony of Lang's life and work is that although he wrote for a profession... he is best recognized for the works he did not write," the folk stories that he collected.
He finished not the last Highways and Byways of the Border but died.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 31, 2020
This entire series is fantastic, but this is the first volume that I have read in its entirety. The illustrations are beautiful (although not very culturally accurate) and the stories diverse. This is nice escapist folklore with plenty of quests, spells, rescues and happily-ever-afters. Unfortunately there are no female heroines; there are some clever ladies who save the heroes but get no credit. There are also thankfully some wonderfully magical animals who save the day without losing their lives. That was refreshing.
April 21, 2011
About 2, maybe 3? years ago, I set myself the goal of reading all the color fairy tale collections edited by Andrew Lang. I vaguely remembered reading some of them when I was in elementary school, but I don't recall too many of the stories.
I was inspired to do this by Robin McKinley, who is one of my fantasy author heroines, as she did the same thing. I also thought it would be a good idea because I write fantasy myself. I saw this is as a way to immerse myself in the genre's fairy tale roots,to renew and refresh my knowledge of the stories and how they work, how their plots are designed, and to reacquaint myself with the stock characters. I also wanted to explore the universality of fairy tales, these heroes and heroines and monsters and villains with a thousand faces. Lang did an amazing job collecting stories from all over the world, taking the patient reader beyond the traditional Western European tales with which many of us are familiar.
The Lilac Fairy Book is the last one on the list.
So, what can I say now after having read all 12 colors? A few things, albeit somewhat randomly and casually:
We tell the same stories, from culture to culture, as far a part as India and North America, over and over, stories inhabited by the same characters: the third sons, the holy fools, the villainous and evil stepmothers, the vain princesses, the crones, the little old men, the fairies, the talking beasts. They speak to our psyches. The versions Lang collected and edited have been just that--edited, as gay characters are seemingly invisible, but I wonder, as I read the stories of intense best friends, what the original stories were. Perhaps Lang was a bit of a Puritan; I don't know. The stories are often like dreams (or nightmares), particularly in plots that shift and change without logic and warning. Fairy tales (which often don't have any fairies in them) can be quite brutal and violent. Yes, traditional fairy tales do reinforce traditional gender roles: men go out, have adventures, women stay at home. Marriage is a happy ending. Obedience is a virtue. The retellings and reinterpretations become, then, all the valuable and powerful. Happily ever after is possible--and that is a good thing.
It's been a good journey.
I was inspired to do this by Robin McKinley, who is one of my fantasy author heroines, as she did the same thing. I also thought it would be a good idea because I write fantasy myself. I saw this is as a way to immerse myself in the genre's fairy tale roots,to renew and refresh my knowledge of the stories and how they work, how their plots are designed, and to reacquaint myself with the stock characters. I also wanted to explore the universality of fairy tales, these heroes and heroines and monsters and villains with a thousand faces. Lang did an amazing job collecting stories from all over the world, taking the patient reader beyond the traditional Western European tales with which many of us are familiar.
The Lilac Fairy Book is the last one on the list.
So, what can I say now after having read all 12 colors? A few things, albeit somewhat randomly and casually:
We tell the same stories, from culture to culture, as far a part as India and North America, over and over, stories inhabited by the same characters: the third sons, the holy fools, the villainous and evil stepmothers, the vain princesses, the crones, the little old men, the fairies, the talking beasts. They speak to our psyches. The versions Lang collected and edited have been just that--edited, as gay characters are seemingly invisible, but I wonder, as I read the stories of intense best friends, what the original stories were. Perhaps Lang was a bit of a Puritan; I don't know. The stories are often like dreams (or nightmares), particularly in plots that shift and change without logic and warning. Fairy tales (which often don't have any fairies in them) can be quite brutal and violent. Yes, traditional fairy tales do reinforce traditional gender roles: men go out, have adventures, women stay at home. Marriage is a happy ending. Obedience is a virtue. The retellings and reinterpretations become, then, all the valuable and powerful. Happily ever after is possible--and that is a good thing.
It's been a good journey.
March 27, 2009
The fairy tales never lose their charm or their power to fuel the imagination. There are standard tropes and rules that fairy tales follow, yet it doesn't bore me. Lessons can be learned from these stories, while enjoying a time that never was.
July 1, 2018
I'm so glad I finished the series ! It was interesting to see all these different fairy tales but after a while they are very repetitive.
August 17, 2016
I did it. I finally read all 12 of the Fairy books!
Ahem.
I found this installment to be a lot more uneven than the other fairy books. A lot of the stories crossed over into folk tale territory (and the difference stands out). There were also about 3 stories from the King Arthur and his court tales and I felt them a bit jarringly out of place compared to the earlier volumes.
Ahem.
I found this installment to be a lot more uneven than the other fairy books. A lot of the stories crossed over into folk tale territory (and the difference stands out). There were also about 3 stories from the King Arthur and his court tales and I felt them a bit jarringly out of place compared to the earlier volumes.
July 26, 2023
This was a journey! It took me, let me check my notes, SEVEN MONTHS to read a collection of fairy tales FOR CHILDREN!
There's a wide range of stories in this book, and a wide range of quality inside of these stories. Some of them objectively suck. Others are objectively among the funniest and most charming things I've ever read. Others are okay but racist, or start in one place and then end in a bizarre zone that makes me question why Andrew Lang thought they were worth an inclusion. OR he was on drugs.
The Lilac Fairy Book! I will never read the entirety of this thing again, but I can see myself pulling it off the shelf from time to time for some of my favorite tales.
There's a wide range of stories in this book, and a wide range of quality inside of these stories. Some of them objectively suck. Others are objectively among the funniest and most charming things I've ever read. Others are okay but racist, or start in one place and then end in a bizarre zone that makes me question why Andrew Lang thought they were worth an inclusion. OR he was on drugs.
The Lilac Fairy Book! I will never read the entirety of this thing again, but I can see myself pulling it off the shelf from time to time for some of my favorite tales.
October 29, 2022
10/2022 reread:
I docked a star this time because while this volume contains some of my very favorite fairy tales, some of them are uninteresting and confusing (especially the ones concerning King Arthur's court). After rereading the entire series of fairy books off and on over the last couple years, overall the Olive is my favorite.
2015:
Favorites:
Bones of Djulung
Rich Brother and Poor Brother
The Sea King's Gift
Raspberry Worm
Four Gifts
Stones of Plouhinec
Castle of Kerglas
Groac'h
I docked a star this time because while this volume contains some of my very favorite fairy tales, some of them are uninteresting and confusing (especially the ones concerning King Arthur's court). After rereading the entire series of fairy books off and on over the last couple years, overall the Olive is my favorite.
2015:
Favorites:
Bones of Djulung
Rich Brother and Poor Brother
The Sea King's Gift
Raspberry Worm
Four Gifts
Stones of Plouhinec
Castle of Kerglas
Groac'h
August 5, 2025
Another colored fairy book completed with the kids. The final story involves King Arthur and so my default might have been my boys favorite. This is our fifth one in the series and I think there were many more that were much less familiar for me.
February 7, 2015
This is the same review I posted from "The Blue Fairy Book", as it applies to both...
Many earlier fairy tales are more colorful than their modern counterparts. When I was a child, I was fascinated by these stories. One day, my Dad told me that many of the earlier, or original fairy tales were darker than their more recent adaptations. He then told me how some of the earlier renditions differed from the more modern versions. I became quite interested and wanted to read some of the stories he was talking about. Later that week, he brought me some books, including Andrew Lang's that featured these earlier versions.
After reading a few tales, I was quite fascinated. I even read many of them several times over and would keep these books by my bed to read each night before going to sleep. This may even be the period of time I developed my love of reading. I was oftentimes entranced by these darker tales and would often compare them to modern retellings. I usually preferred the older tales, but I was an odd child. I used search the garden for grumpets and sit under the bridge over the creek that was located behind the house waiting for one of my brothers to attempt to cross so that I could play 'troll' and scare them silly. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for them, in spite of my stubborn attempts of sitting under the bridge for hours at a time, they never did try to cross when I was under it...
Overall I still enjoy these stories, though maybe not as much as I did when I was younger. I have copies of the Blue Fairy Book and the Lilac Fairy Book that I will probably read again, but I'd like to find some of the others as well, as I do not think I have read them all, especially the Olive Fairy book.
I would also recommend these books to take on family camping trips as the stories are also fun to read by the campfire.
Many earlier fairy tales are more colorful than their modern counterparts. When I was a child, I was fascinated by these stories. One day, my Dad told me that many of the earlier, or original fairy tales were darker than their more recent adaptations. He then told me how some of the earlier renditions differed from the more modern versions. I became quite interested and wanted to read some of the stories he was talking about. Later that week, he brought me some books, including Andrew Lang's that featured these earlier versions.
After reading a few tales, I was quite fascinated. I even read many of them several times over and would keep these books by my bed to read each night before going to sleep. This may even be the period of time I developed my love of reading. I was oftentimes entranced by these darker tales and would often compare them to modern retellings. I usually preferred the older tales, but I was an odd child. I used search the garden for grumpets and sit under the bridge over the creek that was located behind the house waiting for one of my brothers to attempt to cross so that I could play 'troll' and scare them silly. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for them, in spite of my stubborn attempts of sitting under the bridge for hours at a time, they never did try to cross when I was under it...
Overall I still enjoy these stories, though maybe not as much as I did when I was younger. I have copies of the Blue Fairy Book and the Lilac Fairy Book that I will probably read again, but I'd like to find some of the others as well, as I do not think I have read them all, especially the Olive Fairy book.
I would also recommend these books to take on family camping trips as the stories are also fun to read by the campfire.
April 15, 2019
As in most of the other Andrew Lang Fairy Books I've read, the stories can sometimes be repetitive and predictable, since there are often multiple variations of the same basic story throughout the world, and the language can be a bit thick to wade through at times. However, there are enough charming and unusual stories in this collection to make up for these shortcomings(and the beautiful old illustrations help too!). There are stories from all over the world, full of magic, strange beings, dangerous quests, and other elements essential to a good fairy tale. Some tales are of the epic, Arthurian type, while others are delightfully silly. Here are my personal favorites:
- The Shifty Lad
- The Jogi's Punishment
- The Heart of a Monkey
- Little Lasse
- Moti
- The Raspberry Worm
- The Wonderful Tune
-A Fish Story
-The Four Gifts(not a fan of the ending, though; Tephany deserved better!)
- The Believing Husbands
- The Shifty Lad
- The Jogi's Punishment
- The Heart of a Monkey
- Little Lasse
- Moti
- The Raspberry Worm
- The Wonderful Tune
-A Fish Story
-The Four Gifts(not a fan of the ending, though; Tephany deserved better!)
- The Believing Husbands
December 8, 2014
A mix of far fetched tales. A couple are not actually fairy tales at all but tales of a child's imaginative adventures -- and I'm afraid, not very good of the type. A number of Scottish and Irish ones, I particularly like "The Hoodie Crow" -- and I suspect that many of these were first collected no earlier than this. "The False Prince and the True" is an odd one, and I suspect a literary version because of the way backstory is revealed, and the way it starts in media res, though it has its points.
February 3, 2022
There's some fun little gems in this one. Some favorites that I've remembered for years. I'm amazed at the way they translate across cultures and still, with tiny little details, hint at the country of origin. Props to the translators.
Also the old style illustrations are just up my alley.
Also the old style illustrations are just up my alley.
February 9, 2009
I was surprised with this book. It was rather dark and not what I would call fairy tales. I didn't go through them all they were just too negative and depressing for me.
June 13, 2020
Both Lang and the people quoted on the book cover sing the praises of the translations of the stories in this book. I for one wish they'd focused more on storytelling and less on the translation, because if these translations are accurate then the source material they came from is garbage. Most of the stories in this book make zero sense. I don't just mean because they're fantastical tales meant for children. I mean that the plot points of many of the stories don't connect, the focus of the story changes midway through and the original focus never mentioned again, characters are named that were not mentioned before, or simple details contradict one another. An example of that last one: in one tale a fairy plucks three hairs and throws them into the wind. There they "each transform into four tailors." I don't know much French (the language the story was translated from) but I know that 'trois' and 'quatre' look nothing alike. Or a farmer takes a bushel of wheat, plants it in three fields, then suddenly two of the fields are corn. Those two crops have their own words in French too; it's just baffling and confusing. It's also annoying that there's little background on the stories. At the end of each tale, there's a citation of which source it was translated from, but no mention of the year or country of origin. Avoid this book, even a monkey could make up more coherent stories than the ones contained in The Lilac Fairy Book.
February 17, 2017
It's difficult to review these books objectively (as it is to review any book, really). I find most people either enjoy fairytales or don't.
There is no good way to judge the writing, because they are edited versions of old tales handed down verbally from long ago.
But I CAN say that I love them, even if they are bowdlerized versions of the originals, which is appropriate, being books intended for children. That said, the stories still contain very realistic situations, including disappointing love, wealth, abject poverty, abuse of every kind, jealousy, kindness, justice, injustice. But the thing the stories do have that we don't, for evil or good, is magic.
Some of my favorite tales from The Lilac Fairy Book are:
"The Fairy Nurse" When a woman does business with a fairy man, she is kidnapped and her husband has to use his wits to rescue her.
"The Jogi's Punishment" A not-so-holy jogi finagles his way into an emperor's family and tries to assault his beautiful daughter, then convinces people that she is a demon.
"Rich Brother Poor Brother" A rich brother's wife convinces her husband to treat his poor brother badly, but justice catches up with her in the end.
There is no good way to judge the writing, because they are edited versions of old tales handed down verbally from long ago.
But I CAN say that I love them, even if they are bowdlerized versions of the originals, which is appropriate, being books intended for children. That said, the stories still contain very realistic situations, including disappointing love, wealth, abject poverty, abuse of every kind, jealousy, kindness, justice, injustice. But the thing the stories do have that we don't, for evil or good, is magic.
Some of my favorite tales from The Lilac Fairy Book are:
"The Fairy Nurse" When a woman does business with a fairy man, she is kidnapped and her husband has to use his wits to rescue her.
"The Jogi's Punishment" A not-so-holy jogi finagles his way into an emperor's family and tries to assault his beautiful daughter, then convinces people that she is a demon.
"Rich Brother Poor Brother" A rich brother's wife convinces her husband to treat his poor brother badly, but justice catches up with her in the end.
December 11, 2022
A disappointing end to the series. I have to rate it more highly than The Pink Fairy Book, which I found actually objectionable, while this was one merely boring and/or nonsensical pretty much all the way through (at any rate, I now feel sure of my decision to give The Brown Fairy Book three stars for its smattering of good stories). I decided early on that I wanted to nominate a favourite from each book, and fortunately, this one includes a fairly interesting (and, of course, very dated) moral/love story entitled 'The Four Gifts', which shows a (relatively!) believable protagonist learning that her true self is her best self.
February 5, 2018
So, I'm working through all these fairy books. This one however isn't very memorable. Fairly generic stories, and not any of the more popular ones and not any that I would wish were more popular. Same story lines prevalent in all the various tales. So this one you could probably skip in the series. Its like the filler novel of them.
Recommended? Only if your goal is to read all the fairy books.
Buy/Borrow? Only buy if your goal is to own all the fairy books.
Recommended? Only if your goal is to read all the fairy books.
Buy/Borrow? Only buy if your goal is to own all the fairy books.
January 1, 2021
I loved it and will be happy to pick it up again and again flipping through all those magical lands, now it's the turn of the rest of the different colored books, I plan to read them all before I die. Hopefully they're all as joyful as this one was. Most of the stories had an incredible twinkle of childhood nostalgia and memories. 💜 One day I'll read every single story in this book, I make a promise upon a pinky.
February 23, 2023
At this point, I'm just glad to be done! Reading all twelve of these books was an arduous endeavor to say the least. This one had the most English-speaking stories, and for that reason many of them were actually harder to get through because the writing wasn't translated into what would have been considered "contemporary English" at the time. There were several King Arthur stories, but nothing in this book particularly stood out compared to others like the Orange and Crimson ones.
March 25, 2024
In some ways this is one of the more random collection, sources in pure folklore as well as literature and good ol' Arthurian and Welsh tradition. It does make for a fun read with a nice delve into some more specific literary sources.
August 1, 2022
The classic collection of fairy tales, the 12th in the series. A wonderful collection of tales from various countries. A Reader's Corner Must Read.
July 19, 2023
Great stories, I listened to the audiobook version on YouTube. I will leave the link below so that everyone can enjoy it!@ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLbuJ...
August 24, 2016
La semana pasada terminé enferma y encamada.
Para mi pesar he de decir que altas dosis de televisión (de cable) me causan un fuerte dolor de cabeza debido a los continuos saltos de escena, entre comercial y comercial y calidad de video. Extraño, si, pero cierto.
Durante mis aburridas tardes y las noches de dolencias terminé de leer El libro lila de los cuentos de hadas, y el siguiente libro de cuentos. Puedo decir que ahora sólo me falta el tomo 1 del libro azul para tener completa la colección, sin embargo no le hecho mucho en falta porque el libro azul era casi enteramente te cuentos conocidos.
Algunos de los cuentos que incluye son: El castigo del Yogui, Como cazaba lobos Walter el valiente, El oso pardo de Noruega, La muchacha manca y La dama de la fuente.
Muchos de estos cuentos son Indúes, para variar con el tono europeo con que nos estaban acostumbrados. Y el cuento mas interesante de todos es el último: La dama de la fuente; ya que es Artúrico.
Bien, los libros de colores de cuentos de hadas son una de las colecciones de cuentos más completas. A veces puedo llegar a insultarlos, después de haberlos leído, es difícil encontrar un libro de cuentos con algo nuevo.
Para mi pesar he de decir que altas dosis de televisión (de cable) me causan un fuerte dolor de cabeza debido a los continuos saltos de escena, entre comercial y comercial y calidad de video. Extraño, si, pero cierto.
Durante mis aburridas tardes y las noches de dolencias terminé de leer El libro lila de los cuentos de hadas, y el siguiente libro de cuentos. Puedo decir que ahora sólo me falta el tomo 1 del libro azul para tener completa la colección, sin embargo no le hecho mucho en falta porque el libro azul era casi enteramente te cuentos conocidos.
Algunos de los cuentos que incluye son: El castigo del Yogui, Como cazaba lobos Walter el valiente, El oso pardo de Noruega, La muchacha manca y La dama de la fuente.
Muchos de estos cuentos son Indúes, para variar con el tono europeo con que nos estaban acostumbrados. Y el cuento mas interesante de todos es el último: La dama de la fuente; ya que es Artúrico.
Bien, los libros de colores de cuentos de hadas son una de las colecciones de cuentos más completas. A veces puedo llegar a insultarlos, después de haberlos leído, es difícil encontrar un libro de cuentos con algo nuevo.
October 2, 2025
2 stars
1. The Shifty Lad (Scottish)
2. The False Prince and the True (Portuguese)
3. The Jogi's Punishment (Indian)
4. The Heart of a Monkey (Swahili)
5. The Fairy Nurse (Irish)
6. A Lost Paradise (French)
7. How Brave Walter Hunted Wolves (Finnish)
8. The King of the Waterfalls (Scottish)
9. A French Puck (French)
10. The Three Crowns (Italian or Scottish)
11. The Story of a Very Bad Boy (French)
12. The Brown Bear of Norway (Scottish or Irish)
13. Little Lasse (Finnish)
14. Moti (Mid East/Central Asian)
15. The Enchanted Deer (Scottish)
16. A Fish Story (Australasian)
17. The Wonderful Tune (Irish)
18. The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother (Portuguese)
19. The One-Handed Girl (Swahili)
20. The Bones of Djulung (Indonesian)
21. The Sea King's Gift (Finnish)
22. The Raspberry Worm (Finnish)
23. The Stones of Plouhinec (French)
24. The Castle of Kerglas (French)
25. The Battle of the Birds (Scottish)
26. The Lady of the Fountain (Welsh)
27. The Four Gifts (French)
28. The Groach of the Isle of Lok (French)
29. The Escape of the Mouse (Welsh)
30. The Believing Husbands (Scottish)
31. The Hoodie Crow (Scottish)
32. The Brownie of the Lake (French)
33. The Winning of Olwen (Welsh)
1. The Shifty Lad (Scottish)
2. The False Prince and the True (Portuguese)
3. The Jogi's Punishment (Indian)
4. The Heart of a Monkey (Swahili)
5. The Fairy Nurse (Irish)
6. A Lost Paradise (French)
7. How Brave Walter Hunted Wolves (Finnish)
8. The King of the Waterfalls (Scottish)
9. A French Puck (French)
10. The Three Crowns (Italian or Scottish)
11. The Story of a Very Bad Boy (French)
12. The Brown Bear of Norway (Scottish or Irish)
13. Little Lasse (Finnish)
14. Moti (Mid East/Central Asian)
15. The Enchanted Deer (Scottish)
16. A Fish Story (Australasian)
17. The Wonderful Tune (Irish)
18. The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother (Portuguese)
19. The One-Handed Girl (Swahili)
20. The Bones of Djulung (Indonesian)
21. The Sea King's Gift (Finnish)
22. The Raspberry Worm (Finnish)
23. The Stones of Plouhinec (French)
24. The Castle of Kerglas (French)
25. The Battle of the Birds (Scottish)
26. The Lady of the Fountain (Welsh)
27. The Four Gifts (French)
28. The Groach of the Isle of Lok (French)
29. The Escape of the Mouse (Welsh)
30. The Believing Husbands (Scottish)
31. The Hoodie Crow (Scottish)
32. The Brownie of the Lake (French)
33. The Winning of Olwen (Welsh)
March 6, 2016
This is the last of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books. This one wasn't bad, but it was one of the two least interesting books (the other being The Brown Fairy Book). I could tell that Andrew Lang was getting sick of writing Fairy Books. (It doesn't help that he died two years after publishing this book.) There are some good stories, and there is a wide selection - especially of Celtic stories - but I think most of the other Fairy Books are better.
My favorite stories:
- The Jogi's Punishment
- The Heart of a Monkey (I remember that J. R. R. Tolkien claimed that this story was out-of-place in the collection)
- The King of the Waterfalls
- The One-Handed Girl
- The Bones of Djulung
- The Castle of Kerglas
Yeah, most of the stories weren't that interesting, but at least there were some interesting ones. As I mentioned, if you like Celtic stories, this is definitely a recommendation.
I think I've already covered all of the Fairy Books. I'm glad to have reviewed each and every one.
My favorite stories:
- The Jogi's Punishment
- The Heart of a Monkey (I remember that J. R. R. Tolkien claimed that this story was out-of-place in the collection)
- The King of the Waterfalls
- The One-Handed Girl
- The Bones of Djulung
- The Castle of Kerglas
Yeah, most of the stories weren't that interesting, but at least there were some interesting ones. As I mentioned, if you like Celtic stories, this is definitely a recommendation.
I think I've already covered all of the Fairy Books. I'm glad to have reviewed each and every one.
April 16, 2013
I'm not sure that I really enjoy fairytales, but it is an interesting study. Each story is like a puzzle; the protagonist is presented with a problem and then left to figure it out. This is my first of Andrew Lang's collection that I've read.
November 17, 2018
The thirty-two stories in this book come from Portugal, Ireland, and Wales. Included are “The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok,†“Little Lassie,†“The Battle of the Birds,†and others.
This was an enjoyable and easy-to-read book. The st
This was an enjoyable and easy-to-read book. The st
May 22, 2007
These volumes helped to shape my dreams that I had of being a knight-hero :D
April 21, 2010
See my review on my forums:
http://n2.nabble.com/The-Lilac-Fairy-...
http://n2.nabble.com/The-Lilac-Fairy-...
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