Best-Loved Folktales of the World (The Anchor folktale library) (Paperback)

~ Joanna Cole (Author)
Key Phrases: master thief, white cat, old marsa, Brer Rabbit, Sean Ruadh, Ali Baba (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This collection of over 200 folk and fairy tales from all over the world encompasses all cultures. Featuring selections lovingly selected from the personal favorites of folklorists and writers, this major anthology includes stories from West and East Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Caribbean, and Africa.

From the Publisher

A collection of over 200 folk and fairy tales from all over the world, this is the only edition that encompasses all cultures. Arranged geographically by region, this book also includes category index groups that list the stories by plot and character.

Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Paperback: 816 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (August 9, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385189494
• ISBN-13: 978-0385189491
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,578 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for short or long reading sessions!, December 8, 2000

By	P.W. Reader (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Nearly 800 pages of adventure, humor, and thought abound in this wonderful collection! Included are the tales everyone knows like Rumplestiltskin, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and others we loved as children. But this book also includes wonderful imgainative fantasy that won't appear in every children's fairy tale book. Did you know about the giant who had no heart in his body? How about the mean spirited half-chicken who eventually became a weather vane? This book contains 200 stories from all parts of the world, more varied than the "Small World" ride at disneyland, and just as enjoyable for those who love to read!

Sit down with this book and open a page at random, and guaranteed it will be difficult to put down! Each imaginitive story can be read in only a few minutes, but there are so many of them that it will be difficult to remember them all, and the stories themselves make for great conversation pieces, or to tell to children (which was their original intent after all.) A must read for those who love ancient fantasy!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating anthology with a story from every culture., July 11, 2005

By	M. E. Volmar (Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews

This rich, nearly 850-page long volume contains two hundred carefully selected folk and fairy tales from all over the world that include adventure, mystery, romance, humor, drama, fantasy and horror. You will find this book difficult to put down whether you decide to enjoy it on your own, or read from it to your children in family gatherings or at bedtime.
Organized by geographic region, from Europe to the Middle East to Asia, Africa and America, this wide-ranging collection includes some well-known stories like "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Beauty and the Beast," and not so known, but equally charming ones like ""The Forest Bride" and "The Fire on the Mountain," all of which will evoke feelings of awe and wonder at the vast wealth of traditions and mythologies of our world's cultures.
Moreover, the wonderful introduction to this volume explains the considerations that went into selecting the tales, commenting on the origins, evolution, lore, compilation and study of the world's folktales, analyzing their motifs, and even presenting interesting comparisons between them.
As a bonus, this book includes a category index to help you choose the tales according to their topic, including tales of Wise Men and Judges, tales of Giants, Ogres and Male Monsters, and tales of Ghosts and the Supernatural, among others. A thorough index by title is also available.
Overall, this is the best collection of fairy tales and folktales available in a single volume.
Get it today, and enjoy it for years to come.
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent collection, March 30, 2000

By	Heidi Anne Heiner (SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Cole's collection of folktales was published originally in 1982. It's ability to stay in print is a testament to is great depth and array of fairy tales from around the world. The tales are organized by region in the table of contents and are grouped by topic and themes in the index. This is a great standard collection of fairy tales for any library.