The Victorian Fairy Tale Book (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library) [Paperback]

Michael Patrick Hearn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library

From Robert Browning’s Pied Piper of Hamelin and William Makepeace Thackeray’s Rose and the Ring to Kenneth Grahme’s Reluctant Dragon and J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, here are seventeen classic stories and poems from the golden age of the English fairy tale. Some of them amuse, some enchant, some satirize and criticize, but each one —in the words of Laurence Houseman, author of the classic Rocking Horse Land—“is an expression of the joy of living.”
 
Accompanied by the illustrations from the original editions of these works—by such celebrated Victorian artists as Dante, Gabriel Rossetti, Maxfield Parrish, and Arthur Rackham—this collection will delight readers both young and old.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A superb anthology. The keynote of the collection is pure enchantment.”
—The Washington Post Book World
 
“The language is elegant and lush, shot through with starlight and rainbows.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
 
“A delight.”
—Madeleine L’Engle

From the Inside Flap

From Robert Browning?s Pied Piper of Hamelin and William Makepeace Thackeray?s Rose and the Ring to Kenneth Grahame?s Reluctant Dragon and J. M. Barrie?s Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, here are seventeen classic stories and poems from the golden age of the English fairy tale. Some of them amuse, some enchant, some satirize and criticize, but each one?in the words of Laurence Houseman, author of the classic Rocking-Horse Land? ?is an expression of the joy of living.?

Accompanied by the illustrations from the original editions of these works?by such celebrated Victorian artists as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Maxfield Parrish, and Arthur Rackham?this collection will delight readers both young and old.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (December 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375714553
• ISBN-13: 978-0375714559
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh! Oh! Ooooh! This is sooo good!, February 10, 2009

By 

MzQd (Peace on Earth, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Victorian Fairy Tale Book (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library) (Paperback)

"Some amuse, some enchant, some satirize, some criticize--after all, no one creates an alternative world who is content with his own." ~Michael Patrick Hearn, from his introduction in "The Victorian Fairy Tale Book"

(What a relevant quote!) Okay. Moving through my luscious pile of period literature and, oh boy, struck gold with this one! Now, I am admittedly a kind-of-Golden Age-fairy tale-lovin-kind-of-girl, and Michael Patrick Hearn's "The Victorian Fairy Tale Book" is just one peach of a great anthology! I was not disappointed.

First, the introduction alone is worth the price of the book as Hearn offers one of the most thoughtful and lucid critiques of fairy tale lit I think I have ever read. I don't pretend to be a scholar in this genre, but it is nicely written (and digested) with interesting looks at the writers (among the greatest of their time) and their foray into this style. Did you know Charles Dickens wanted to marry Little Red Riding Hood? You did? Well, I did not, so these little nuggets of insight were really fun for me.

Hearn is a man who surely knows his stuff and who most definitely encouraged me to want to dig in and explore further into this most imaginative style of literature.

I believe he selected the best Victorian tales and poems from many of the period's most celebrated writers including Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde ("The Selfish Giant"), W.B. Yeats ("The Stolen Child"), and (oh yes, *it* is in this one!) Christina Rossetti ("The Goblin Market"). Each story is accompanied by either its original illustrations or paired with art from the period's most notable illustrators including Maxfield Parish, Arthur Rackham, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. What a nice treat it was to see that!

Highly recommended as a book not just for kids, as you will relish the moments reading this one aloud to them. I loved it, even if I had to read much of it aloud to myself. Ennnnnnunciate and Enjoy!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, May 23, 2011

By 

Jean - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Victorian Fairytale Book (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library) (Paperback)

This is a delightful book for children and adults. It is easy and fun to read as fairy tales are suppose to be, but they are also very deep and thought provoking! It stimulates imagination, is instructive about life, and motivates moral aspirations.