Fairy Gold: A Book of Old English Fairy Tales' was compiled by Ernest Rhys (1859-1946) a famed writer and editor - best known for his role as founder of the 'Everyman's Library', a series of affordable classics. Rhys was passionate about English folkloric tradition, and making such wonderful works of literature accessible to the common people. The book starts with a quotation from Shakespeare's 'A Winter's Tale': 'This is fairy Gold boy; and t'will prove so...' From here on in, it is a text to amuse, delight, scare and inform - all in equal measures - for young and old alike. It contains black and white illustrations as well as such well-known tales as 'The Three Bears', 'Tom Thumb', 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'The Mermaid' as well as other, near-forgotten English stories such as 'The Fairy Fair', 'Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar', 'The King and the Vipers' and 'Queen Mab's Good Grace.' The text appears in its original translation, ensuring that none of the works initial brilliance is lost.
