The Classic Fairy Tales Paperback – 13 Nov. 1980

The Opies are always good, thorough and well researched. These 24 tales are mostly the best known, from our favourite traditional tales to retellings by Perrault and Grimm bros. or stories by Andersen etc. Each tale is analised for its history, how it developed and what variations exist; then the full tale is recounted in a "standard" form. So, did you know that the Prince was not the kind and courageous person we've always supposed in Sleeping Beauty but a rapist who left Sleeping Beauty with two babies? [OK, so it's dropped out of the final version] Or that prototypes for Jack the Giant Killer go back to Snorri Sturluson in the early 13th century? it's fascinating to see what surprising ingredients went into these tales that children have appropriated as their own. Excellent book.

Enjoyed the stories. There is some explanation on the origins of the stories and variations.Book is of good quality and the book includes some drawings from original sources.The authors state there are no hidden meanings or reasons for the stories beyond entertainment, this is an opinion but is stated almost as a fact in the book. Other than that, worth the money.

Great book, with some terrific illustrations. The biggest surprise on revisiting the originals is how immoral some of the main characters like Jack the Giantkiller and Jack and the Beanstalk are(cold-blooded killers and/or common thieves). But not all happy endings - or at least not originally.

Lovely present for my wife and she is very much looking forward to reading it

fabulous Ilustrations. A really lovely book.

Brilliant

Bless Iona and Peter Opies' souls! This book is a great look at the historical and factual side of Fairie tales - highly recommend for scholarly purposes or educating oneself on folklore. 100/10

I love this book. It is interesting, entertaining, and sheds light on the origins of all our favorite fairytales and Disney movies. Very good.

Un libro muy curioso con unas ilustraciones muy bonitas. Los grabados seguro que tuvieron que dar bastante miedo a los niños de la época.

I purchased this book for a graduate class. it's interesting.

This book is marvelous. I owned it once a long time ago and foolishly gave it away. I'm thrilled to have found it again. It's a 'must have' collection of the original versions of favorite fairy tales. This book also includes detailed backgrounds of the stories, along with fantastic illustrations from a variety of artists. Not only did Russell Books have the edition with the cover I remember, but each page is in excellent condition. If you won't settle for pale imitations of scary stories from the past, this is THE book to add to your collection.