[.ca] Annotated Classic Fairy Tales (ISBN 0393051633)

The Fairy Tale Riddle:
This is a beautifully illustrated book. That has a lot of excellent background information on popular fairy tales. Fairy Tales are now mostly regarded as stories for children. When the truth of the stories, are much more fascinating. Then one would think.

Rich, Imaginative, Fun:
What a delight it is to have such readable versions of these stories in a user-friendly format. The commentary is refreshingly free of Freudian jargon and sentimental cliches. Getting the historical background is, as I discovered, vital to understanding what is at the heart of these tales. I will never read Little Red Rood or Goldilocks and the Three Bears in the same way again after learning about how they have evolved from adult stories to childrens' tales. Shrewd and insightful, but also full of wit and imagination, Tatar takes us to a new level with her commentary--which is neither overly elusive nor condescending.

A new classic:
A thoroughly delightful book! Ms Tatar retells many classic tales with wit and insight that injects these familiar stories with new life. Beautifully illustrated as well, although many of the illustrations were rather small to see in detail. Made me want to read more of Tatar's critical work. There's so much cultural and historical aspects to these enduring stories!

Handsome Collection Of Timeless Stories:
A superbly designed, very reasonably priced hardcover volume of 26 celebrated fairy tales, Maria Tatar's THE ANNOTATED CLASSIC FAIRY TALES takes a somewhat scholarly glance at these familiar short works. For each story, Tartar provides a brief but informative introduction that concisely discusses the genesis of the tale before exploring historical/cultural intricacies of the text, all written in an erudite but easily accessible manner. Many of the stories here are presented in fresh new translations by Tatar herself, sporting numerous lush and beautiful illustrations taken from a variety of sources. Its a welcome and entertaining volume, but it must be noted that THE USES OF ENCHANTMENT by Bruno Bettelheim examines many of these same tales with far more depth, insight and enthusiasm. Tatar's notes are surprisingly sparse and offer very little real critical analyses of the tales at hand, especially in comparison to such copiously annotated and richly enlightening similar works like THE ANNOTATED MOTHER GOOSE by William & Ceil Baring-Gould or THE ANNOTATED ALICE by Martin Gardner. Nonetheless, this comes highly recommended as a great collection of definitive versions of some of the most beloved fairy tales, accompanied by over 300 often stunning illustrations.

Fairy tales for the serious student:
This is probably not the edition of fairy tales you want to curl up with while reading to your three-year-old (primarily because of its measurable heft). This was the version I purchased after reading dozens of fairy tales to my sons and began wondering why these tales have been so enduring -- or, endearing -- over the centuries. Tatar's versions, along with her helpful introductions, helped me greatly understand why these stories have been handed down through the generations. She brings in not only the historical context of several French and German fairy tales, but remains as faithful to the "original" version as possible, given the fact that these were primarily oral stories being told. Of primary value within this volume for me were the numerous original-edition illustrations generously sprinkled throughout. These, as much as Tatar's well-written and researched narrative, helps the reader understand what portions of the fairy tales were emphasized over the years.