lism of narration, make for them an ever-green immortality--these
have been left intact, for no later touch would improve them. All
modern stories have been excluded.

Of course, in fairy tales, instruction is not expected; we find in
them only the rude moral of virtue rewarded and vice punished. But
children will soon discover for themselves that in real life all
beautiful people are not good, nor all ugly ones wicked; that every
elder sister is not ungenerous, nor every stepmother cruel. And the
tender baby-heart is often reached quite as soon by the fancy as by
the reason. Nevertheless, without any direct appeal to conscience or
morality, the Editor of this collection has been especially careful
that there should be nothing in it which could really harm a child.

She trusts that, whatever its defects, the Fairy Book will not deserve
one criticism, almost the sharpest that can be given to any
work--"that it would have been better if the author had taken more
pains."

* * * * *

CONTENTS.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD

HOP-O'-MY-THUMB

CINDERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER

ADVENTURES OF JOHN DIETRICH

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

LITTLE ONE EYE, LITTLE TWO EYES, AND LITTLE THREE EYES

JACK THE GIANT KILLER

TOM THUMB

RUMPELSTILZCHEN

FORTUNATUS

THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS

RIQUET WITH THE TUFT

HOUSE ISLAND

SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE RED

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

GRACIOSA AND PERCINET

THE IRON STOVE

THE INVISIBLE PRINCE

THE WOODCUTTER'S DAUGHTER

BROTHER AND SISTER

LITTLE RED-RIDING-HOOD

PUSS IN BOOTS

THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG GOSLINGS

THE FAIR ONE WITH GOLDEN LOOKS

THE BUTTERFLY

THE FROG-PRINCE

THE WHITE CAT

PRINCE CHERRY

LITTLE SNOWDROP

THE BLUE BIRD

THE YELLOW DWARF

THE SIX SWANS

THE PRINCE WITH THE NOSE

THE HIND OF THE FOREST

THE JUNIPER TREE

CLEVER ALICE

* * * * *

THE

SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD.

Once there was a royal couple who grieved excessively because they had
no children. When at last, after long waiting, the queen presented her
husband with a little daughter, his majesty showed his joy by giving a
christening feast, so grand that the like of it was never known. He
invited all the fairies in the land--there were seven altogether--to
stand godmothers to the little princess; hoping that each might bestow
on her some good gift, as was the custom