Customer Reviews

Princess Stories: A Classic Illustrated Edition

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 1991, Cooper Edens published "The Three Princesses: The Ultimate Illustrated Edition," a book containing three princess fairy tales (Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty) with 172 illustrations from the Golden Age of illustration. The book has since gone out of print and has become popular among collectors with some editions selling for well over $100 in the used book market.

Now Edens has produced a similar book, "Princess Stories," which may become just as sought after by collectors in the years to come. This time he includes eight tales, including Cinderella, The Frog Prince, The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Beauty and the Beast. Edens has included over 150 illustrations to accompany the tales by such masters as Kay Nielsen, Walter Crane, Edmund Dulac, Charles Robinson, W. Heath Robinson, Honor Appleton, Jesse Wilcox Smith, and Arthur Rackham. More obscure and anonymous illustrations by these illustrators' contemporaries are also included. Thus results a feast of fairy tale illustrations in color and black and white for all ages.

The hardcover book is printed on fine paper and new illustrations appear with every turn of the page. Readers will enjoy comparing the different visions by the illustrators of the same tales. The texts are also rich and reflect earlier versions of the tales. My only regret is that there wasn't room for even more illustrations although plenty are provided here.

Unfortunately, the cover of the book is deceptive due to its design. With the last two letters of "Princess" appearing over the glowing candle, the book appears to be "Prince Stories" at first glance of the cover. Never fear, the interior of the book is much better designed with no loss of illustration or textual integrity.

This book containes stories that helped me live through all the tough times in my childhood-in my teens,and even now.The good will succeed.The wicked will fail.

The good are gentle and forgiving;the Charles Perrault Cinderella,forgiving her sisters,is one example.

The real little mermaid,not the Disney clown.The loving,suffering girl who will do anything for the one she loves,and who gets her reward;an eternal life.

Eight girls who have lived,strong and brave,some since the seventeenth century,some even longer.Every part of the story illustrated by many of the best artists who ever lived.

Nothing dumbed down,because the stories exists outside of time or place.

Won't you let your children(of any age,from toddler to teen)get to know them?It's a new century.We need true heroines!

The Walt Disney corporation has laid out such a powerful claim on the world of fairytale princesses -- and backed that claim with gigantic, relentless marketing and branding campaigns -- that it is a relief to go back and see the original stories, in versions that aren't dependent on "special edition" videos or endless plastic goo-gaws. Indeed, this beautifully designed edition collects not only eight of the most archetypal stories ("Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "Snow White," et.al.) it also explores the various representations of these classic tales that were given by the masterful childrens' book artists of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Like other books researched by editor Cooper Edens, this gathers dozens of vintage illustrations, each more lavish than the next, reviving a different sort of storytelling magic than the video template of Disney and their imitators. It's a rich visual and historical experience, the perfect thing to inspire wonder about and interest in the past.

The downside, such as it is, is that these are also unvarnished, unsanitized versions of these dark, disturbing stories. The prospects of sexuality, violence and death that pervaded the early fairytales is left intact, as are the often explicit religious messages. For this reason, I would not recommend this edition for younger children: it's a little scary, especially things like the original version of Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Mermaid," and the original "Snow White." There is a marvelous version of "Beauty And The Beast," however, and a very long "Cinderella," both of which are quite nice.

It's the pictures that you will keep coming back to, though. This book is a rich visual treat that can sit on the family bookshelf for years to come, delighting and enchanting readers young and old. (ReadThatAgain)

I was so excixed to have this book in time for the holidays and to give it to a very excited little girl. I got the book and everything seemed fine, we wrapped it and had her open it on christmas morning, she was thrilled! Until, we went to lay down later that night to read her favorite story, The Little Mermaid. This is when we found that two pages of the story had been ripped out! I can't return the book now, as she is already attached to having it. I am completely unsatisfied with this purchase, especially since it was labeled in "Very Good" condition.

My daughter and I chanced upon this book in our local library and promptly checked it out. The compiler, Cooper Edens (reputed to own one of the largest collections of vintage picture books in the world) has collected eight classic princess stories in this collection, i.e. Cinderella, The Frog Prince, The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast.

The book is also filled with beautiful illustrations by renowned illustrators such as, Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen, Walter Crane, etc. Although the original illustrations are gorgeous, something is missing in the transfer over here - some of the illustrations appear almost washed out and not as vivid or clear as found in other books. The stories though are classic princess tales which will captivate readers, especially young children.

Although many of the illustrations in this, as well as the other Cooper Evans' collections of illustrations, are varied and seemingly colorful, I think that buyers should know that the colors here and in the other books are not quite true. I placed many of these illustrations side by side with copies from much more expensive art books and they fell quite short. Maybe I'm just picky, but many of the illustrations are grayer or greener than the more expensive book copies. Also, many of the illustrations are "smarmy," just so sweet as to be sacchrine. I like the illustrations in the series by Walter Crane, Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, etc., but they are very much outnumbered by pictures which I would never have in my collections. Still, if your goal is to have a collection of STORIES about princesses, the sea, animals, etc. (from the whole series), then you will find some great entries here.