Andrew Lang

The Grey Fairy Book Andrew Lang

Andrew Lang was a poet, novelist, literary critic and anthropologist. But perhaps he is best known as a collector of folk tales. His series of twelve Fairy Books were published between 1889 and 1910. Together, they took in more than four hundred fairy tales many of which had never before been translated into English. The series was incredibly influential but, more importantly, loved by hundreds of thousands of children and their parents. They are full of magic and courage and love and loss, enchanted forests, wicked trolls, treasure troves and the vanquishing of evil. They are wonderful. Hesperus Press have made me very happy by reissuing the first two in the series - the Red and Blue books. I have the Red book to review and it's a beautiful edition with a wonderful silhoutted jacket design by Madeline Meckliffe with golden titling. I would have loved the look of this book as a child. And I love it now.