It is almost impossible to envision what childhood would be like without the enchanting world of fairyland. Old witches in cloaks of gold, giants that turn into dwarfs, tears that become birds, monster and magician, fairies and ogres—these are the companions who thrill young boys and girls of all lands and all times, as Andrew Lang's phenomenally successful collections of stories have proved. From the day that they were first printed, the Lang fairy tale books of many colors have entertained thousands of boys and girls, as they have also brought pleasure to the many parents who have read these unforgettable classics to their children.

The Orange Fairy Book delves into the oral traditions of Rhodesia, Uganda, and the American Indian; the traditions of the Punjab and of Jutland; and such familiar European sources as Hans Christian Andersen (The Ugly Duckling) and Madame d'Aulnoy (The White Doe) for its 33 stories. But it is not important that the lad climgin the tree to a cloud kingdom is an Indian brave rather than Jack, or that the giant-killer Makoma is African. The events are familiar favorites iwth children the world over 

From the Dover reprint cover