Golden Books Treasury of Elves and Fairies [Hardcover]

Jane Werner (Compiler), Garth Williams (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Specs: 9 7/8" x 12 3/4", 80 pages, $12.95, First published in 1951. Fantastical illustrations by well-known and talented Golden illustrator Garth Williams bring to life this timeless collection of twenty poems and stories about everything from "the wee-folk" and mermaids to magic kerchiefs and flying bears.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Garth Williams was a prolific illustrator of Golden Books. His illustrations have brought to life Charlotte’s Web, Mister Dog, Home for a Bunny, Stuart Little, and many other children’s classics.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Golden Books (December 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307168484
• ISBN-13: 978-0307168481
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #949,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fairy Tales that adults love too. It's back., August 8, 2000

By 

Jay Rudin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden Books Treasury of Elves and Fairies (Hardcover)

An old reviewer, with a sour look

Went out looking for his favorite book.

It was full of fairies, brownies, too.

But it couldn't be found, So what to do?

I spent years looking for the original, which commands $200-300. (It's worth it, too. I just don't have it.)

What do the readers do, when a book is out of print?

As they go through the years, and never see,

The Cannery Bear, or the house tomte,

Or the Littlest Mermaid again. Oh, gee!

I wouldn't be one - would you?

Well, now you don't have to be - it's back. That's all I need to tell the people who read it before, when it was called The Giant Golden Book of Elves and Fairies.

For the rest of you, please understand that it's hard to describe this book objectively. Seeing it again is an incredibly joyous reunion. Garth Williams paints elves so that the sense of wonder is palpably displayed. The stories and poems are exciting, moving, pensive, and fun. The children in your life will love it. The grown-ups won't mind reading it to them. I do not know anybody who had this book as a child who isn't in love with it.

So the Elves and Fairies now live on my shelf.

And I read it all day, and I like myself.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magical Moment, December 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Golden Books Treasury of Elves and Fairies (Hardcover)

I received this wonderful Elf and Fairy book from my parents when I was 5 and visiting relatives in Phadelphia for Christmas. My Dad read me the stories each night and I was enchanted with the illustrations and the sly humor (and messages) of the wee folk. (Jane Werner's selection of stories and poems was perfectly balanced.) My 1951 edition is also well worn and both covers missing but it is still a treasured childhood friend. I was showing it to a coworker (mentioning sadly that it was out of print) and he said - Are you sure? Try Amazon.com. and then came my Magical Moment - the title appeared and I was thrilled beyond words! My advice: Buy 1 to read, several to give to friends, and one to keep under glass (just in case). I only wish Garth Williams was still with us to see his luminous, enchanting artwork alive and dancing in the imaginations of new generations of children, and the young in heart. Thank you so much, Little Golden Book publishers for the reprinting and cudos to Amazon.com for the price discount. Happy Holidays!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Golden Books Treasury of Elves and Fairies: with Assorte, June 9, 2000

By 

Joyce J. Evans - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden Books Treasury of Elves and Fairies (Hardcover)

My sister and I formed all our mental images of fairies and elves from this marvelously enchanting book. Our mother gave us the 1951 edition, which we treasured throughout our childhood. My sister has the original, and I was prepared for a lengthy search of used bookstores. But, lo and behold, Amazon had the reissued edition at a discount! Once again I'll be able to read about the magic scarves and mourn the Fairy Queen, whose body lies in the stream. Garth Williams drew pictures that emblazon themselves in the minds of children, who forever after remember the magic of the things unseen and unbelieved by most adults. The stories cultivate the imagination and expand the conscience. This is one book that no child should ever miss and one that no adult should ever forget.