The Brown Fairy Book

Andrew Lang, Henry Justice Ford

Courier Corporation, Jun 1, 1965 - Juvenile Fiction - 350 pages

The Brown Fairy book is a delectable assortment of adventures from all over the world. Stories came from Persia, Australia, Africa; others originated in Brazil, India, New Caledonia, and other lands. One tells of a witch who used a magic ball to steal children (Ball-Carrier and the Bad One); another takes place at a time when birds were men and men were birds (Pivi and Kabo); a third deals with the magic world of gnomes and water nympths (Rubezahl). Exotic tales from far-away places, the stories here are different enough to captivate the young imagination; familiar enough so that boys and girls everywhere will listen and understand.

Contents

• What the Rose did to the Cypress: 13
• BallCarrier and the Bad One: 48
• The Bunyip: 71
• The Story of the Yara: 88
• The Turtle and his Bride: 106
• Hábogi: 126
• The Sacred Milk of Koumongoé: 143
• The Husband of the Rats Daughter: 161
• Pivi and Kabo: 183
• How Some Wild Animals became Tame Ones: 197
• The Sister of the Sun: 215
• The Prince and the Three Fates: 233
• The Fox and the Lapp: 245
• Kisa the Cat: 256
• The Lion and the Cat: 263
• Which was the Foolishest?: 270
• Rübezahl: 283
• Story of the King who would be Stronger than Fate: 300
• Story of Wali Dâd the Simplehearted: 315
• Tale of a Tortoise and of a Mischievous Monkey: 327
• The Knights of the Fish: 343

About the author

Andrew Lang was born at Selkirk in Scotland on March 31, 1844. He was a historian, poet, novelist, journalist, translator, and anthropologist, in connection with his work on literary texts. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, St. Andrews University, and Balliol College, Oxford University, becoming a fellow at Merton College. His poetry includes Ballads and Lyrics of Old France (1872), Ballades in Blue China (1880--81), and Grass of Parnassus (1888--92). His anthropology and his defense of the value of folklore as the basis of religion is expressed in his works Custom and Myth (1884), Myth, Ritual and Religion (1887), and The Making of Religion (1898). He also translated Homer and critiqued James G. Frazer's views of mythology as expressed in The Golden Bough. He was considered a good historian, with a readable narrative style and knowledge of the original sources including his works A History of Scotland (1900-7), James VI and the Gowrie Mystery (1902), and Sir George Mackenzie (1909). He was one of the most important collectors of folk and fairy tales. His collections of Fairy books, including The Blue Fairy Book, preserved and handed down many of the better-known folk tales from the time. He died of angina pectoris on July 20, 1912.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Brown Fairy Book; Dover Children's Classics Series; Dover fairy tale books
• Authors: Andrew Lang, Henry Justice Ford
• Edition: illustrated, reprint, revised
• Publisher: Courier Corporation, 1965
• ISBN: 0486214389, 9780486214382
• Length: 350 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General; Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Anthologies; Social Science / Folklore & Mythology