Jack and the bean-stalk

“Jack and the Bean-stalk.” The Book of Fables and Folk Stories, Horace Elisha Scudder, Boston: Houghton Mifflin; 1919, pp. 41-55.

Tale Summary In the days of King Alfred, in a country village in England, there was a poor woman who had a single son named Jack. She never set him to work, and eventually they were so poor, that they only had their cow left. Jack felt badly that he...

The Fox's Wedding

“The Fox's Wedding.” The Allies' Fairy Book, introduction by Edmund Gosse, London: William Heinemann., Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott., 1916, pp. 87-88.

Tale Summary There was once a young white fox named Fukuyémon, who, when he reached a fitting age, shaved his forelock and began thinking of taking a bride. His father gave him his inheritance and retired, and the young fox labored in gratitude. He had heard of a beautiful lady-fox...

The Adventures of Little Peachling

“The Adventures of Little Peachling.” The Allies' Fairy Book, introduction by Edmund Gosse, London: William Heinemann., Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott., 1916, pp. 84-86.

Tale Summary Many hundreds of years ago, there was a woodcutter and his wife, and one day the woman went by the river to wash clothes while her husband collected wood. She saw a peach floating down the water and took it, meaning to share it with her husband when...

What came of picking flowers

“What Came of Picking Flowers.” The Allies' Fairy Book, introduction by Edmund Gosse, London: William Heinemann., Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott., 1916, pp. 77-83.

Tale Summary Once upon a time, the eldest of three sisters went for a walk and picked a pink flower. She disappeared completely, and so the second oldest sister searched for her but plucked a rosebush and then she, too, disappeared. The youngest sister also set out on their path...

The language of animals

“The Language of Animals” Europa’s Fairy Book, Joseph Jacobs, New York, London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1916, pp. 66-71.

Tale Summary There was once a simple-minded boy named Jack, who was sent off to school for a year by his father in order to learn something. When he returned home, he told his father that he now understands a dog when it barks. His father sends him away again,...

The Master Thief

“The Master Thief” Europa’s Fairy Book, Joseph Jacobs, New York, London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1916, pp. 121-128.

Tale Summary A poor boy named Will lives with his family. One day he goes into the woods and meets a band of thieves so he asks if he can join them. They give him a task to see if he is worthy: go get a coin purse from the...

The Unseen Bridegroom

“The Unseen Bridegroom.” Europa’s Fairy Book, Joseph Jacobs, New York, London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1916, pp. 129-141.

Tale Summary Once upon a time, there was a King and Queen who had three daughters, the most beautiful of them all being the youngest, named Anima. It happened that one day the princess found a bush of lovely flowers. When she tried to dig it up, she uncovered a...

Bluebeard

“Blue Beard.” The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales from the Old French, Quiller-Couch, A. T, New York: Hodder and Stoughton, 1910, pp. 27-46.

Tale Summary A rich gentleman called Blue Beard is unable to find a new wife due to his unusual beard and rumors about his missing wives. Through lavish entertainment, a maiden named Fatima decides to marry him. He gives his wife a set of keys to all the treasures in...

Screenshot of the first page of the tale, text only, "The princess in the Coffin".

“The Princess in the Coffin.” Danish Fairy Tales, Svendt Grundtvig, translated by J. Grant Cramer, Boston: The Four Seas Company, 1919, pp. 45-58.

Tale Summary In this Danish rendition of the Princess in a Coffin tale type, you observe a king and queen that are unable to naturally bear a child, so they must seek the help of a wise old woman to fulfill their desires. The queen becomes pregnant after she fulfills...

Ink illustration of a princess kneeling over a prince who is lying on the ground next to a bush.

“Beauty and the Beast.” Europa’s Fairy Book, Joseph Jacobs, New York, London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1916, pp. 34-41.

Tale Summary A merchant went on a journey and his three daughters each asked for him to bring back a gift. One daughter asked for a necklace, another a gold chain, and the youngest daughter, named Bella, asked for a rose. The merchant plucked a rose from a garden and...

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