This new collection brings together the perfect combination of ancient tales like The Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella, with modern classics such as Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince and Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling. Plus, Mike Ashley has added a few selected tales that deserve to be better known, and a delightful handful of new stories by popular modern authors like Joan Aiken, Tanith Lee and Jane Yolen. xi • Introduction: Tales of Wonder and Adventure • essay by Mike Ashley 1 • A Bag of Poetry • (1997) • short story by Lawrence Schimel 4 • Beauty and the Beast • (1757) • short story by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (trans. of La belle et la bête) 18 • The Bells of Carillon-Land • short story by E. Nesbit (variant of Belinda and Bellamant 1912) [as by Edith Nesbit] 34 • The Birthday Battle • (1997) • short story by Louise Cooper 49 • Blue Roses • (1903) • short story by Netta Syrett 60 • The Boy Who Plaited Manes • (1986) • short story by Nancy Springer 74 • The Castle • (1864) • short story by George MacDonald 88 • Cinderella or, The Little Glass Slipper • (1729) • short story by Charles Perrault (trans. of Cendrillon ou La petite pantoufle de verre 1697) 96 • The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth • (1908) • short story by Lord Dunsany 113 • The Cloak of Friendship • (1905) • short story by Laurence Housman 123 • The Cotton-Wool Princess • (1892) • short story by Luigi Capuana (trans. of La figlia del Re 1885) 133 • The Drawing School • (1913) • short story by J. Muñez Escomez 138 • The Dutch Cheese • juvenile • (1908) • short story by Walter de la Mare 145 • The Elves • (1823) • novelette by Ludwig Tieck (trans. of Die Elfen 1812) 165 • The Enchanted Watch • (1892) • short story by Charles Deulin 170 • The Enchanted Whistle • juvenile • (1891) • short story by Alexandre Dumas (trans. of Le sifflet enchanté 1859) 177 • The Fairy Gift • (1925) • short story by Charlotte Brontë (variant of The Four Wishes 1918) 188 • The Forest Fairy • (1869) • short story by Lord Brabourne 201 • The Forest of Dreams • (1997) • short story by Lawrence Schimel (variant of Atmospheric Conditions 1994) 204 • The Girl Who Loved the Wind • (1972) • short story by Jane Yolen 209 • The Glass Dog • (1901) • short story by L. Frank Baum 218 • The Green Bird • (1894) • short story by Laurence Housman 226 • The Happy Prince • (1888) • short story by Oscar Wilde 236 • How Wry-Face Played a Trick on One-Eye • (1908) • short story by Agnes Grozier Herbertson 243 • Jack and the Beanstalk • (1912) • short story by Anonymous 253 • The Knave and the Fool • juvenile • short story by Juliana Horatia Ewing (variant of Knave and Fool 1872) [as by Juliana H. Ewing] 260 • Little Red Riding Hood • short story by Laura Valentine 271 • Little Snowdrop; or, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs • [KHM (Kinder- und Hausmärchen)? • 53] • short story by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm (trans. of Sneewittchen (Schneeweißchen)? 1812) [as by The Brothers Grimm] 281 • The Mad-Hatter's Tea Party • [Alice] • short story by Lewis Carroll 289 • The Mistreated Fellow • (1987) • short story by Jessica Amanda Salmonson 293 • Mother-of-All • short story by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre 307 • The Necklace of Tears • (1896) • short story by Mrs. Egerton Eastwick 318 • The Night the Stars Were Gone • (1977) • short story by Joan Aiken 327 • Old Pipes and the Dryad • (1885) • short story by Frank R. Stockton 345 • The Pied Piper of Hamelin • short story by Charles Marelles (trans. of Le preneur du rats 1888) 352 • The Pot of Gold • (1864) • short story by Horace E. Scudder 360 • Princess Crystal; or, the Hidden Treasure • (1896) • short story by Isabel Bellerby 367 • Princess Sansu • (1972) • short story by Tanith Lee 378 • The Rat That Could Speak • (1860) • short story by Charles Dickens 384 • Rumpelstiltskin • [KHM (Kinder- und Hausmärchen)? • 55] • short story by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm (trans. of Rumpelstilzchen 1812) [as by The Brothers Grimm] 388 • The Seekers • (1926) • short story by H. E. Bates 402 • The Seven Families of the Lake Pipple-Popple • (1870) • short story by Edward Lear (variant of The History of the Seven Families of the Lake Pipple-Popple) 412 • The Seven Ravens • short story by Ludwig Bechstein (trans. of Die sieben Raben 1847) 417 • Sleeping Beauty • short story by Charles Perrault (trans. of La belle au bois dormant 1697) 427 • The Snow Queen • juvenile • (1844) • novelette by Hans Christian Andersen (trans. of Snedronningen 1845) 456 • The Story of Nick • (1857) • short story by Christina Rossetti 463 • The Three Bears • (1870) • short story by Sarah Baker 471 • The Three Goats Named Bruse; or, The Three Billy-Goats Gruff • [Norske Folkeeventyr • 40] • (1859) • short story by Peter Asbjørnsen? and Jørgen Moe? (trans. of De tre bukkene Bruse 1842) 473 • The Three Tasks • (1951) • short story by Geraldine Elliot 486 • The Touchstone • (1895) • short story by Robert Louis Stevenson 493 • Touk's House • (1985) • novelette by Robin McKinley 517 • The Tree's Wife • (1978) • short story by Jane Yolen 523 • The Ugly Duckling • (1872) • short story by Hans Christian Andersen (trans. of Den Grimme Ælling? 1843) 532 • The Ugly Unicorn • (1991) • short story by Jessica Amanda Salmonson 544 • The Unhappy Princess • (1982) • short story by Richard Cowper 562 • The White Cat • novelette by Comtesse d'Aulnoy (trans. of La chatte blanche 1697) [as by Marie-Cathérine d'Aulnoy]