English Fairy Tales

Fairy tales are written both to entertain and to educate. Published in the shadow of the First World War, F. A. Steel's retellings of forty-one English fairy tales form a classic collection of stories, ranging from the familiar - 'Jack and the Beanstalk', 'Little Red Riding-Hood' and 'The Three Little Pigs' - to the perhaps less well known - 'The Black Bull of Norroway', 'Nix Nought Nothing' and 'The Red Ettin'. Originally published in 1918, it reflects the nationalistic concerns of the period. Steel takes the reader on a journey, from Cornwall to Bamburgh Castle via a palace by the sea, as well as high into the sky, where a giant lives. The magical tales in English Fairy Tales are brought to life by one of the best-known illustrators of the time, Arthur Rackham.

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About the Author

Flora Annie Steel (1847-1929) was the author of more than thirty books, most of which were novels describing Anglo-Indian life during the British Raj. She moved to India with her husband in 1867 and lived there for twenty-two years. Steel had a strong interest in traditional Indian culture and folk tales, and was a contemporary of John Lockwood Kipling, Rudyard Kipling's father, with whom she worked to encourage local arts and crafts.

Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) was one of the leading figures from the Golden Age of British book illustration. He had an ornate pen-and-ink style, which was sometimes paired with subtle watercolours, and many of his books were published as de luxe limited editions. His reputation was founded after he illustrated Washington Irving's Rip van Winkle in 1905, followed by Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens for J. M. Barrie in 1906.