The Complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales (Hardcover)

by Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Lily Owens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Lilly Owens, ed. Illustrated edition of 159 cherished tales that have enchanted readers for generations. Includes The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes, Snow Queen, all uncut with beautiful illustrations by Arthur Rackham, Hans Richter, et al. 60 B&W illustrations. 816 pages.

Language Notes
Text: English, Danish (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: Gramercy; Avenel 1981 ed edition (May 10, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517092913
• ISBN-13: 978-0517092910
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #351,623 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #22 in	Books > Bargain Books > Children > Literature & Fiction > Classics
  #26 in	Books > Bargain Books > Children > Literature & Fiction > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths
  #34 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( A ) > Andersen, Hans Christian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

137 of 142 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Expected Better Quality, January 7, 2000

By A Customer

Andersen and Grimm are supposed to be classics. While I like having the collection and while the illustrations are very nice - the pages themselves are much closer to newspaper-stock than what I'd expect from a durable, long-lasting book. Very thin, gritty, and easily tearable. It was kind of disappointing. This also applies to the Grimm book from the same editor.

106 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The true story of "The Little Mermaid" will surprise you!, July 14, 2000

By	Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

If you remember Thumbelina, The Nightingale, The Ugly Duckling or The Princess and the Pea, they are all here in a wonderful collection of stories written by Hans Christian Anderson. Unlike the Brothers Grimm, who collected and recorded popular tales, Hans Christian Anderson wrote his own "folk" tales, which also contain Danish history and foreign literature.

Not all of his stories end well, yet this is a side of life children should learn about so they can be aware of it later in life. Your child might be horrified to learn that not everything ends up quite as magical as it would in a Disney movie. My favorite tale has always been "The Little Mermaid." She wanted to be something she was not meant to be and for me that is a lesson of how we should be who we really are. She actually ends up not marrying the prince. I quote:

The little mermaid lifted up glorified eyes towards the sun, and felt them, for the first time, filling with tears. On the ship, in which she had left the prince......she saw him and his beautiful bride searching for her; sorrowfully they gazed at the pearly foam, as if they knew she had thrown herself into the waves.

Some of the stories are very moralistic, yet he retains a mischievous sense of humor in some stories. His stories always reflect his fertile imagination. This particular collection was translated by Mrs. H. B. Paull, H. Oskar Sommer, Jean Hersholt and several other unknown translators. Six distinguished artists helped to illustrate this book. These are black and white illustrations and there are not really very many of them. To me a fully illustrated book should be fully illustrated. Nonetheless, this is not a book just for children. In fact, I see this more as a book which should be read to children by their parents. In this way parents and children can discuss items of interest. This book on its own would most likely not appeal to a child, due to the lack of pictures. It is meant to be read to them as far as I can tell. I also would recommend it to adults who remembered these stories as I did and want to read them again.

Perhaps I also remember the story about the tinder box very well. It is a magical story of a soldier who goes into a hollow tree and finds a passage with doors which lead to chambers. It sounds frightening at first but has a lovely happy ending.

Books can take us to another world and this one will take a child to many places they will never forget. And so the first story begins: "Far down in the forest, where the warm sun and the fresh air made a sweet resting place, grew a pretty little fir-tree; and yet it was not happy, it wished so much to be tall like its companions¯the pines and firs which grew around it. The sun shone, and the soft air fluttered its leaves, and..."

~The Rebecca Review

58 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't even bother., November 6, 2003

By	shubunkin "ryunkin" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

While I'm sure the stories are great, I can't get past the poor type setting, and cheap paper which is practically newsprint. The words and illustrations bleed through from the next page making reading very difficult. And to make matters worse, the stories are set in a terrible, hard to read font and tight leading. This book is NOT kid-friendly at all.