11 h 31 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A monkey fights for his freedom with wit, while a fairy wife carries a hidden condition into marriage.
Andrew Lang’s The Violet Fairy Book gathers folk and fairy tales from Japan, China, France, Italy and northern Europe. In the Monkey and the Jelly-fish, the Dragon King sends a sea creature to fetch a quick-witted monkey. Staying safe means more than being strong.
Other tales lead into enchanted courts and unexpected meetings. The Fair Melusina follows a fairy woman who marries a mortal knight. Hok Lee meets dwarfs, while his neighbour tries to copy his story. The Fox and the Lapp and Andras Baive bring northern tales into a collection where kindness, greed and cleverness shape what happens.
What you’ll discover
- Wit against strength Meet small creatures whose quick thinking gives them a chance against the powerful.
- A fairy wife’s secret Enter Melusina’s story, where marriage to a mortal knight comes with a hidden condition.
- Goodness in strange places Follow simple-hearted Wali Dad as plain goodness carries him through strange events.
- Courts under enchantment Join Prince Vivien as he faces enchantments and hopes to win Princess Placida.
- Tales to share aloud Choose a short tale and enjoy a whole story together in one sitting.
Who will love it
For parents and teachers who love tales to read aloud, and anyone who enjoys stories from many lands, clever animals, magical helpers and fairy wives.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Lang gathers tales from many lands
- Clever animals outwit the strong
- Kind people meet helpers, greedy ones meet trouble
- Fairy wives, princes and enchanted courts
- Northern and far-off tales bring new worlds
- Common threads and the sound of the tales
Who’s who
- The MonkeyA quick-witted creature in the Japanese tale of the Monkey and the Jelly-fish, who wants only to stay safe and keep his freedom.
- The Jelly-fishThe sea creature sent by the Dragon King to bring the monkey below, anxious to please his master and finish the task.
- Hok LeeA man in a Chinese tale who meets dwarfs, and whose neighbour tries to copy his story.
- MelusinaA fairy woman in a French tale who marries a mortal knight and lives under a hidden condition.
- Prince VivienA royal hero in a courtly fairy tale, who faces enchantments and hopes to win his Princess Placida.
- Wali DadA simple-hearted man whose plain goodness sets the course of his tale and carries him through its strange events.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 11 h 31 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Das violette Märchenbuch
by Andrew Lang · 1901
Clever animals outwit the strong, fairy wives guard secrets, and small acts of courtesy put promises to the test.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Violet Fairy Book is a collection of folk and fairy tales gathered by the Scottish writer Andrew Lang and published in 1901. It is the seventh in his series of twelve fairy books, each named for a colour.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Lang gathers tales from many lands
Andrew Lang was a poet, critic and student of myth and folklore. In the late nineteenth century he saw that the old tales of peasants and nurses were being forgotten. He began to collect them for young readers, and the first volume, The Blue Fairy Book, appeared in 1889. Its success led to a long run of colours. The Violet Fairy Book came out in 1901, near the end of the first great wave of the series.
Lang was an editor more than an author. He read widely in the collections made by scholars in many languages, and he picked the tales that seemed fresh and lively. Others, including his wife and a circle of translators, helped him bring them into English. He wrote short prefaces to the books, and in them he joked about his role. He often said that the real makers of these stories were the common people of the world, over many centuries.
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What is The Violet Fairy Book about?
It is a collection of about three dozen folk and fairy tales from many countries, including Japan, China, France and Lapland. The tales feature clever animals, kind and greedy people, magical helpers, princes and fairy wives.
Who wrote The Violet Fairy Book?
Andrew Lang edited it. He did not write the tales himself, since they come from folk tradition and older written collections. He chose them, shaped them for young readers, and worked with helpers who put them into English.
Where does The Violet Fairy Book come in the series?
It is the seventh of Lang's twelve fairy books, which are each named for a colour. It was published in 1901, with drawings by H. J. Ford, and followed the Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Pink and Grey books.
The author
Andrew Lang
1844–1912 · Scottish poet and folklorist
Andrew Lang was a Scottish writer born in Selkirk in 1844. He lived in London and died in Banchory in 1912. He wrote poetry, novels, literary criticism, and works on folklore. He edited The Blue Fairy Book, published in 1889, and other fairy-book collections, including The Violet Fairy Book in 1901.
More by Andrew Lang
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