15 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a poor person can outwit a ruler, and the smallest creature can beat the largest?
The Olive Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, brings together folk and fairy tales from many lands. Kings, poor families and clever animals share a world of difficult tests and magic that rewards or punishes. Each separate story offers a fresh encounter, without asking you to follow one long plot.
These tales open a world where strength and rank do not always decide who succeeds. Here, the pleasure lies in moving from one story to another: a contest of wits, a test to pass, a small creature facing a larger one. No knowledge of folklore is needed.
What you’ll discover
- Cleverness against power Meet poor people whose wits can matter more than a ruler's power.
- Small creatures, large challenges Discover tales where a small animal can overcome a much larger opponent.
- Magic with consequences Enter a world where magic can bring rewards or punishments, and tests demand an answer.
- Stories from many lands Explore folk traditions gathered together, with a different tale waiting at each turn.
- One tale at a time Enjoy stories short enough for one sitting, or share their pleasures by reading aloud.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love traditional fairy tales, clever tricksters, enchanted animals and proverbs, and stories from many lands gathered side by side, ready to be read aloud.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A magic word challenges royal power
- Love cannot be forced by magic
- Overlooked people reveal their own strength
- Small helpers stand against unfair power
- Kind words become practical protection
- Some secrets need careful guarding
- Wanting more can invite trouble
- Patience works alongside courage and cunning
- Wit and kindness give people chances
Who’s who
- The bald youth in MadschunA lazy young man who falls in love with a sultan's daughter and learns a magic word that holds everyone still.
- King LinoA courteous young king of Arabia who loves Princess Hermosa from her portrait and is cruelly tricked by the magician Ismenor.
- AbeilleA duchess's daughter carried off by gnomes who longs for her mother, the sky and Youri.
- King LocThe small, kindly king of the gnomes who loves Abeille and must decide whether to keep her.
- Ameer AliA farmer's foster son and a king's heir who seeks his fortune and aids the Fairy of the Forest.
- SambaA tall, gentle prince afraid of everything, who marries a clever princess and needs her courage.
- ImaniA spirited princess who says she will make her own fortune and does so with one penny and a loom.
- DoraniA perfume seller's daughter with golden hair who dances every night in fairyland and stays silent by day.
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.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read today.
- 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.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens 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 and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook 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 and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
The Olive Fairy Book 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 Olive Fairy Book
by Andrew Lang (editor) · 1907
One whispered word freezes a palace wedding when a bald young man claims the sultan's daughter.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“He wins who waits.”
In short
What happens when a bald, penniless young man falls in love with a sultan's daughter and learns one magic word? He gathers every bird in the world, then freezes a palace wedding in place.
The Olive Fairy Book at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 55 min4 h 40 min fast, 7 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 84,500 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1907by Andrew Lang (editor)
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 single magic word beats a sultan's broken promise
The book opens with Madschun, a tale from the Turks. A woman lives with her bald, lazy son in a cottage in the hills. The sultan's daughter rides by, and that single glance changes the young man completely. He sends his mother to ask for the princess, and the sultan does not punish her.
The sultan sets a test he thinks is impossible. The suitor must bring every bird in the world into the palace gardens. In the desert a dervish tells the youth to sit beneath a giant cypress, wait for the birds to settle, and say one word, Madschun, so that none can leave its perch.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1907
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
The Olive Fairy Book. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-olive-fairy-book.
The olive fairy book. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-olive-fairy-book (Original work published 1907)
The Olive Fairy Book. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-olive-fairy-book.
@book{anonymous2026olive,
title = {The Olive Fairy Book},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-olive-fairy-book},
note = {First published 1907}
}
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 eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead 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 Olive 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 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 Olive Fairy Book about?
It is a collection of about thirty folk and fairy tales from Turkey, India, Armenia, Denmark, Iceland, Africa and the French fairy court, with kings, witches, gnomes, clever girls and talking animals.
Who collected The Olive Fairy Book?
Andrew Lang edited it as one of his fairy books. His preface thanks Dr. Ignaz Künos, Frédéric Macler, Major Campbell and others whose collections supplied many tales.
Where do the stories in The Olive Fairy Book come from?
Most tales end with their sources. They come from Turkish, Punjabi, Armenian, Danish and Icelandic collections, from the French Fairy Cabinet of 1786, and from Count Hamilton and Galland.
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.
“He wins who waits.”
More by Andrew Lang (editor)
See all their 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 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
