The Yellow Fairy Book

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

The Yellow Fairy Book

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Andrew Lang's "The Yellow Fairy Book" is a Victorian-era anthology of classic folk and fairy tales collected from around the world. Offering timeless stories for children and lovers of folklore, this collection features translations of tales from Russian, German, French, and Icelandic traditions alongside original stories by authors like Hans Christian Andersen. With colorful illustrations and a preface debating the reality of fairies, the book presents a vibrant tapestry of magic, moral lessons, and adventure.

Summary up to 500 words

Published in 1894, Andrew Lang's *The Yellow Fairy Book* is a vibrant anthology of folklore tales ranging from humorous fables to tragic legends. The collection opens with "The Cat And The Mouse In Partnership," a sharp moral fable where a deceitful cat feigns godmother duties to consume a shared store of fat, ultimately devouring the mouse when the supply runs out, illustrating the consequences of greed. Another prominent narrative, "The Six Swans," follows a king who marries a witch's daughter to escape a forest, only to discover she is evil. He must embark on a perilous journey across a magical lake to rescue his seven children from a dragon, guided by a thread that reveals the path, while his bride waits on a distant island. In "The White Duck," a queen transformed into a duck by a wicked witch mourns her children until the king discovers her true form; with healing water from a spring, the witch's murdered ducklings are resurrected, restoring the family. The book also features "The Witch And Her Servants," detailing a king's struggle to protect his magical fruit trees from invisible thieves, and "Blockhead-Hans," a tale of three brothers wooing a princess. While the learned brothers fail to impress the court with rehearsed wit and forgotten knowledge, the simple-minded youngest brother wins the princess's hand by offering a dead crow and mud as gifts, demonstrating that sincerity often triumphs over pretension. Additional stories include "The Steadfast Tin-Soldier," who melts into the heart of his beloved ballerina, and "Thumbelina," a tiny girl navigating a world of giants and insects. Through these diverse narratives, Lang explores enduring themes of loyalty, the power of love, the dangers of envy, and the enduring presence of magic in the human imagination, blending traditional folklore with literary flair.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/ebooks/andrew-lang_yellow-fairy-book.epub

Local file path

data/epubs/url-54101470407f8ee2.epub

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Downloaded at

2026-07-01 20:50 UTC

Categories

• Folklore
• Fiction
• Children's Literature