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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the sky holds living kingdoms, and kindness matters more than royal power?
In The Moon Princess, Edith Ogden Harrison opens a fairy-tale world of royal houses, far-off realms, and kingdoms in the sky. A young heroine stands at its heart. The moon shapes the tale’s quiet mood, drawing you away from daily life into a world of light and distance.
Love and kindness count for more than rank or power here. Harrison follows the paths of old wonder tales, where distant realms offer room to explore what matters most. The pleasure lies in a gentle, imaginative story that asks you to slow down and enter its world.
What you’ll discover
- Kingdoms in the sky Look beyond the familiar world toward royal houses and realms set among the heavens.
- A young heroine Meet the young figure at the heart of this world of light and distance.
- Kindness above rank Explore a tale where love and kindness carry more weight than position or power.
- The old fairy-tale spirit Enjoy the familiar wonder of far-off places and a world beyond ordinary life.
- A gentler reading pace Settle into a calm, lyrical story whose softness is part of its appeal.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy fairy tales that explain the world, stories of brides and princes, or tales to read aloud.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A silver road leads home
- An invitation unsettles the bride
- The sea treasures different things
- Birdsong carries a fairy story
- Asgard keeps faith with hope
- Love leaves marks on Earth
- Promises reveal the quality of love
- Gifts cannot replace another person's freedom
- The world becomes a family
Who’s who
- EtheldaThe youngest daughter of the Moon, a gentle but headstrong bride who asks to spend her honeymoon on Earth.
- Prince DorionA strong, kind prince of the Sun who loves Ethelda and trusts everyone too easily.
- The Moon QueenEthelda's mother, who fears for her daughter but grants her wish and lays a silver ladder to Earth.
- The Black DwarfA hunchbacked, scowling builder of mountains who wants the Moon Princess as his wife.
- The Earth QueenThe gracious hostess who gives the ball and takes seriously her duty to protect her guests.
- Princess KuldahDorion's sister, a Sun Princess who lives in an enchanted valley with her husband, Prince Minio.
- The Ocean KingThe ruler of the sea, who welcomes the guests to his mother-of-pearl palace and gives Ethelda a shell that sings.
- The GuideThe Sun messenger who leads the party north and tells the tales that explain the world.
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The Moon Princess in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Moon Princess
by Edith Ogden Harrison · 1902
A Moon Princess climbs a ladder of moonlight to Earth, where a black dwarf is watching her.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
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“Nothing good can come of it.”
In short
Why would a princess of the sky beg to spend her honeymoon on Earth? Her mother, the Moon, dreads the request, but she grants it anyway.
The Moon Princess at a glance
- Reading time
- About 1 h 50 min1 h 25 min fast, 2 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 26,200 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1902by Edith Ogden Harrison
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A mother grants a wish she dreads
The tale opens with a sad Moon. Her youngest and dearest child, Ethelda, is betrothed to Dorion, a prince of the Sun. By an old custom, a bride may ask for whatever she most desires on her wedding day, and it cannot be denied. Ethelda asks to spend her honeymoon on Earth.
The mother has one comfort, a wise law that calls every Moon maiden home after a single year. So she hides her grief and sends a hundred of her loveliest maidens along.
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Which edition is right for me
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Details
- First published
- 1902
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 h 5 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Harrison, Edith Ogden. The Moon Princess. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-moon-princess.
Harrison, E. O. (2026). The Moon princess. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-moon-princess (Original work published 1902)
Harrison, Edith Ogden. The Moon Princess. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-moon-princess.
@book{harrison2026moon,
author = {Harrison, Edith Ogden},
title = {The Moon Princess},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-moon-princess},
note = {First published 1902}
}
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What is The Moon Princess about?
It follows Ethelda, a daughter of the Moon, and her husband Dorion, a Sun prince, on a honeymoon to Earth. A guide tells tales that explain natural wonders, while a black dwarf plots to take the bride.
Who is the black dwarf in The Moon Princess?
He is a hunchbacked, scowling builder of mountains who lives deep in the forest with thousands of imps. He bows politely at the Earth's ball, but he has set his heart on marrying Ethelda.
What is the Moon ladder in the story?
It is a ladder of moonlight, built by the Moon Queen's sprites, that runs from her palace to a beach on Earth. It is her promise that her daughter may come home whenever she wishes.
The author
Edith Ogden Harrison
1862–1955 · American children's writer
Edith Ogden Harrison (1862–1955) was an American writer of children’s books and travel accounts. She was born in New Orleans and later lived in Chicago. Her books included The Moon Princess, published in 1906. She was married to Carter Harrison Jr., who served as mayor of Chicago.
“Nothing good can come of it.”
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