With ‘The Pink Fairy Book’ Mr. Lang has exhausted the primary colors without coming to an end of his store of fairytales. This time he has gone further afield, though without finding much that is new. Japan yields a few; and other sources which we do not remember in the earlier books have been drawn upon. Generally, however, it is from the folklore of European nations, and from that most admirable of story-tellers, Hans Christian Andersen, that we get the best things. It is true that, as Mr. Lang remarks, Andersen ‘ wants to ‘ point a moral’ as well as ‘adorn a tale, ‘ whereas the true fairy-story should not have any more intelligible moral than that it is a great virtue to be the youngest son of three, and a still greater to be the youngest of seven. Not the less, however, is it true that, on the whole, these stories are on the side of goodness and kindness. It is difficult to make a choice among these good things. But perhaps, ‘ How the Hermit Helped to Win the King’s Daughter, ‘ is as good as any. Among the few outlandish stories, ‘Wischimataro and the Turtle ‘ may be mentioned.
This book is fully illustrated and annotated with a rare extensive biographical sketch of the author, Andrew Lang, written by Sir Edmund Gosse, CB, a contemporary poet and writer.
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