Thus far, in the Blue Fairy Book first volume it gets off to a s very rocky start, in comparison to Lang's other volumes in the series. This volume lacks a cohesiveness, where there are some familiar fairytales and far less noted ones, in such an archaic record of the oral tradition. The Blue Fairy book is rather ecclectic in it's display and the way it orates these tales. I find it interesting that many of the true well-known tales aren't actually known in their entirety, as they are revealed in this version. There are some very interesting parallels between stories in this collection and in the Red and Violet collections-- for instance East of the Sun and West of the Moon parallels Soria Moria Castle Published in the Red story. Prince Hyacinth parallels Dwarf Long nosed in the Violet. The parallels have to do with how the stories were constructed, motifs, similar themes, structural shifts, motive, characterization, but not about the plethora of how children's fairytales of this era all seemingly have a typical formula that works well revolving around food, the number three, good vs. evil, change vs. losing oneself, listening to ones elders vs. spurning the advice of elders (cynility), entering other dimensions, animals who speak, luck (abundance--rags to riches story), the classic quest story, princesses or princes who are bored and have to marry but want to change their arranged marriage choice, nature/natural world interference, fear vs. bravery (and a ton of other numerous innate human conflicts dealing with consciousness and the human condition).
Basically, we still question these today which is why they are still relevant and rich for discussion. It's why they consume toteism, and comprise our history. Many of us try to hide the truth of how we view literature because it often times reflects with how we view ourselves or know ourselves far better than we think we do. It reveals a deeper and richer discovery of the vulnerability of childhood imaginations, which evolve throughout our lifetimes. ( )

I've been reading this to R. on the train in the mornings. Some of the stories are just right and others are awful. ( )

Another excellent collection by Andrew Lang. Many of the characters found in the 'Fables' comic series are in this volume, which makes me wonder if Bill Willingham started here when pondering which fairy tales to use. Here are some of the 37 fairy tales included:
Sleeping Beauty
Beauty & The Beast
Snow White & Rose Red
Trusty John
Jack the Giant Killer
Ali Baba & The Forty Thieves
Aladdin & The Wonderful Lamp ( )

This is my first and favorite book from the Folio Society! Everything about this book is great. ( )

Classic fairy tales from the Grimm brothers, Charles Perrault, Madame d'Aulnoy, the Arabian Nights, and other international sources. This volume has some of the best known European tales, 37 in all, with 138 beautiful illustrations by Ford and Hood. Lang's collections were first published circa 1891. ( )