11 h 31 minAudiobook6 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
Listeners who love fairy tales, folklore from around the world, clever heroes and heroines, talking animals and magic objects.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- These tales come from many lands and ages
- A girl finds a hidden home in the Tontlawald
- Clever tongues beat greed and bad tempers
- A rich man cannot cheat what fate has promised
- Courage and loyal beasts face monsters
- Petru seeks water from the Fairy of Dawn
- Girls and women take bold roles
- Magic brings wonders and dangerous bargains
- Kindness is repaid and envy comes to nothing
Who’s who
- ElsaA beaten peasant girl who strays into the haunted Tontlawald and finds a hidden home with a magical family.
- VassiliA poor seventh son whom Mark the Rich tries to destroy again and again, though three old beggars watch over him.
- PetruThe youngest prince, who rides a magic horse past dragons, Welwas and goddesses to fetch water that will cure his father.
- JesperA fisherman's son who helps ants and shares his lunch with an old woman.
- Stan BolovanA man who longs for children, gets a hundred, and must face a dragon to feed them.
- JemA boy from a cobbler's family who is bewitched by an old woman and becomes known as Dwarf Long Nose.
- HalfmanThe twelfth and smallest son of a judge, born only half a boy, who uses his sharp mind to save his brothers.
- HassebuA boy who fails at every trade until a pit of honey leads him to the King of the Snakes.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- 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 6 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.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Il libro delle fate viola in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Il libro delle fate viola
by Andrew Lang · 1901
A girl enters a forbidden moor, a frog spins linen, and a dragon meets his match in thirty-five tales.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
What would you do if a stranger offered to guide you out of a forest, but only if you promised him the first thing that comes out of your house to greet you? The Violet Fairy Book gathers thirty-five tales from Estonia, Serbia, Romania, Japan, East Africa and beyond.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
These tales come from many lands and ages
These stories belong to a tradition older than reading and writing. Country people remember them and pass them on, changing them as they go. Animals speak, stones hold secrets, and magic takes the place of science.
The thirty-five tales come from places including Romania, Serbia, Estonia, Japan and East Africa. Their heroes range from poor children to powerful rulers. Magic reaches cottages as readily as palaces.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Il libro delle fate viola
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Violet Fairy Book about?
It is a collection of thirty-five folk and fairy tales from many countries, with dragons, witches, talking animals, clever heroes and heroines, magic gifts and tests of courage, each one short enough to be enjoyed on its own.
Did Andrew Lang write the stories in The Violet Fairy Book?
No. Lang explains in his preface that he is the editor, not the author. The stories are old folk tales that country people told for generations, which scholars later wrote down.
Where do the tales in The Violet Fairy Book come from?
They come from many places, including Estonia, Serbia, Romania, Russia, Japan, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia and East Africa.
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
All 16 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
