Fairy tales are usually thought of as children's literature, and in terms of how much children in particular are fascinated with them this categorization is not without a merit. However, most good fairy tales tap into some social or personal tension, a fact of life, or a natural phenomenon. They often take rather ordinary situations and push them to the limit of what our imagination considers plausible. Fairy tales are thus a form of reductio ad absurdum of common sense, and they often help us see various life situations in terms of their most basic principles. This is why fairy tales have had, and continue to have, a lot of fascination with adults as well.
Most of us have grown up with fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen or Brothers Grimm. There is a sort of cannon of western fairy tales that have become part of the common patrimony of the entire world - Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Rapunzel, and many others. However, these fairy tales are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the European fairy tales, and there are many other folk tales that are not as familiar as these and yet are equally beautiful and imaginative.
This collection of the English fairy tales is as great of a collection of fairy tales as they come. It is rather fascinating to see that even thought many fairy tales reflect certain English cultural norms, the basic structure and the motifs are surprisingly familiar. We have villains and heroes charged with an unusual and demanding task, monsters and unusual magical objects are everywhere, there are damsels-in-distress aplenty, and most tales take place "once upon a time." All of the tales are very well written and the language is crisp and contemporary. The dialogues, however, are replete with colloquial English expressions and turns of phrase, and these characteristics give the fairy tales a very folksy feel. This collection will be a great source of enjoyment for children and adults alike.
