Here are thirty-one enchanting selections drawn from Andrew Lang's famous series of colorfully titled fairy tale anthologies. Scholar, poet, novelist, and literary critic, Lang tirelessly collected magical stories from cultures all over the world—stories, according to Lang, that "have been inherited by our earliest civilised ancestors, who really believed that beasts and trees and stones can talk if they choose, and behave kindly or unkindly."

The best single-volume collection of Lang's fairy tale classics available, The Rainbow Fairy Book includes "Hansel and Gretel," "Rapunzel," "Jack and the Beanstalk," "The Prince and the Dragon," "Rumpelstiltskin," "The Three Little Pigs," "Snow-White and Rose-Red," and other enduring fables of childhood. Lyrical and timeless, these are the stories that have captured the imaginations of children and adults alike for generations.