The Complete Fairy Tales

"Oh grandmama, what great big teeth you have!"

Charles Perrault's versions gave classic status to the humble fairy tale, and it is in his telling that the stories of Little Red Riding-Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and the rest have been passed down from the seventeenth century to the present day. Perrault's tales were enjoyed in the salons
of Louis XIV as much as they were loved in the nursery, and it is their wit, humor, and lively detail that capture the imagination of adult and child alike. They transmute into vivid fantasies the hidden fears and conflicts by which children are affected: fears of abandonment, or worse, conflicts
with siblings and parents, and the trials of growing up.

In addition to the familiar stories, this edition also includes the three verse tales--the troubling account of patient Griselda, the comic Three Silly Wishes, and the notorious Donkey-Skin. This translation by Christopher Betts captures the tone and flavor of Perrault's world, and the delightful
spirit of the originals.


"Betts gives the stories the sense of humour ... The Gustave Dor� illustrations in the Oxford editions add to the baroque feel of the thing as well. These are fairy tales that are as much a pleasure to read now as they were to be told once upon a time ago." - Desperate Reader

"It is extraordinary to revisit stories so familiar from childhood and see within their bounds savagery, deceit and dire warnings about predators and even puberty. The hidden symbolism of Perrault's tales is explained in the erudite introduction by Christopher Betts, who has translated the 1697
edition, the only complete translation in both verse and prose. The fairy tale is a rite of passage. Read yours aloud, share it with a small or re-read these tales and wonder at the depth that Disney never did." - The Field