The Violet Fairy Book

Bewitched and haunted forests, chests of gold coins magically gained, giants and dwarfs, monsters and magicians, fairies and ogres--these are the companions who thrill young boys and girls around the world, as Andrew Lang's phenomenally successful collections of stories have proved. In The Violet Fairy Book, we encounter strange and exotic tales from the far corners of the earth--Japanese, Serbian, Lithuanian, African, Portuguese, Rumanian, and Russian. A magical dog called Schippeitaro helps his Japanese master; a man outwits a dragon in a Rumanian tale; and a Swahili story tells about a youth who visits the King of the Snakes. Lang's compilation, with its rich narratives and vivid imagery, captures the heart of folklorists and kindles the love for storytelling in readers of all ages.