14 h 1 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 344 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 344 pagesAbout this book
Step into a world where curses carry weight, animals speak, and a ragged cloak may hide unexpected kindness.
The Red Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, gathers folk tales from across Europe, including France, Russia, Iceland, Denmark, and Germany. In stories such as The True History of Little Golden-Hood, The Three Dwarfs, and The Twelve Brothers, familiar fairy-tale wonders meet real danger. Bravery takes effort, and magic offers no promise of an easy path.
This collection leads you through enchanted castles, daring escapes, and kingdoms won through cleverness. Witches, talking animals, and magical transformations give these tales their strange life. Beneath the wonder lie questions of courage, humility, loyalty, and love. Lang’s retellings preserve the beauty and strangeness of oral traditions, inviting you to linger over their poetic rhythms as well as their adventures.
What you’ll discover
- Europe’s folk traditions Explore stories from France to Iceland, each opening another door into fairy-tale wonder.
- Magic with real stakes Enter a world of weighty curses, dangerous witches, and bravery that must be earned.
- Cleverness against the odds Discover quests where a quick mind can win a kingdom and shape an adventure.
- Kindness beneath ragged cloaks Look beyond appearances as these tales bring humility, loyalty, and love into view.
- Beauty beside strangeness Savour the poetic rhythms and unexpected turns that keep old folk stories alive.
Who will love it
Readers who love once upon a time stories, enchanted animals, wicked stepmothers and clever heroes, and anyone who wants a shelf of old tales from many countries to dip into, share aloud or return to.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Cowherd Follows Twelve Dancing Princesses
- Towers, Trolls and a Deathless Captor
- Cunning Thieves and Cursed Children
- Enchanted Husbands, Hidden Monsters and a Magic Tree
- Mice, Fairy Gifts and a Calling Voice
- Magic Hides, Quacking Creditors and a Piper with a Grudge
- Kindness Rewarded, Courtesy Tested
- Shape-Shifters, Servants and a Dragonslayer
- Kind Hearts, Clever Heads and the Way the Tales Are Told
Who’s who
- Michael the Star GazerA dreamy cowherd who follows a golden-robed lady's advice to Beloeil, uses magic laurels to become invisible and tries to learn where twelve princesses dance each night.
- Princess MayblossomA king's daughter kept in a windowless tower under a fairy's curse, who is dazzled by a splendid ambassador and wants her freedom.
- HalvorAn idle boy who loves poking in the ashes, sails away with a sea captain and faces three trolls to free three princesses.
- Prince IvanA brave prince who marries Marya Morevna, cannot resist opening the forbidden closet and spends the rest of his tale trying to win her back.
- MinnikinA newborn who walks out into the world, steals the eyes of old hags and wins a magic sword, a pocket ship and a brewing secret.
- Kari WoodengownA king's daughter who flees her stepmother on the back of a blue bull and works in a prince's kitchen wearing a wooden gown.
- JackA poor widow's flighty but kind son who sells the cow for beans, climbs the stalk and sets out to win back his father's treasure from a giant.
- SigurdA young Norse hero with the sword Gram and the horse Grani, who sets out to kill the dragon Fafnir and claim the cursed gold.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 6 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 344 pages: USD 12.95 when you start free, USD 18.95 on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 344 pages: USD 21.95 when you start free, USD 27.95 on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in, 519 pages: USD 19.95 when you start free, USD 25.95 on its own.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in, 519 pages: USD 27.95 when you start free, USD 33.95 on its own.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
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 USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 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.
The Red Fairy Book
by Andrew Lang (editor) · 1890
Twelve princesses wear out their satin shoes by night, and a cowherd named Michael follows them down.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 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 USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Imagine a book where every story starts with someone who wants something and a road that leads somewhere strange. The Red Fairy Book gathers thirty-seven folk and fairy tales, put together by the Scottish writer Andrew Lang and published in 1890 for young readers.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Cowherd Follows Twelve Dancing Princesses
The book opens with Michael, a little cowherd with no parents, whom everyone calls the Star Gazer because he walks with his head in the air. A lady in a golden robe appears in his dreams and sends him to the castle of Beloeil.
There twelve princesses sleep in twelve beds behind bolted doors, yet each morning their satin shoes are worn through. The Duke has promised one daughter to whoever solves the puzzle, but every prince who keeps watch has vanished by morning.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Also in the Fairy Tales Book Set: Six Collections
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 6 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
- Paperback
- Light and easy to carry. A real book for the bedside table and the beach.
- Hardcover
- Made to last. For the shelf, and for giving.
- Large print paperback
- Bigger, clearer type. Easy on the eyes for long evenings and for reading aloud.
- Large print hardcover
- Bigger, clearer type. Easy on the eyes for long evenings and for reading aloud.
See the type size
Pick a size and read a line at that size. Hold your phone at reading distance.
Twelve princesses wear out their satin shoes by night, and a cowherd named Michael follows them down.
Shown close to the printed size on most screens.
Details
- First published
- 1890
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 9 h 5 min
- Level
- Medium level
- Paperback
- 344 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Hardcover
- 344 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 519 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Large print hardcover
- 519 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
- Printed when you order. Usually here in 12 to 14 days.Arrives Thu 12 Nov to Wed 18 Novto United States, printed for you at cost
For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
The Red Fairy Book. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-red-fairy-book.
The red fairy book. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-red-fairy-book (Original work published 1890)
The Red Fairy Book. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-red-fairy-book.
@book{anonymous2026red,
title = {The Red Fairy Book},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-red-fairy-book},
note = {First published 1890}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 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
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Red Fairy Book
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 just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs USD 18.95 on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: USD 12.95 for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
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 Red Fairy Book about?
It is a collection of thirty-seven folk and fairy tales from France, Russia, Norway, Germany, Ireland, Flanders and the Norse North. They feature princesses, trolls, witches, talking animals, clever thieves and enchanted princes, and finish with the saga of Sigurd.
Who wrote The Red Fairy Book and when was it published?
Andrew Lang, a Scottish writer and folklorist, gathered the tales and published the book in 1890. He did not invent the stories. They come from old oral and written traditions in many countries.
Is Little Golden Hood the same as Little Red Riding Hood?
It is a retelling of the same story with a different outcome. The girl is named Blanchette and wears a golden hood made from a ray of sunshine, which gives her protection, so the tale surprises readers who know the usual version.
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 (editor)
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
