World of Tales
Stories for children, folktales, fairy tales and fables from around the world

Welcome to the online fairy tales page!



Fairy tales Below you will find a list of magical and captivating bedtime stories for kids written by some of the best known fairy tale authors.

People have been telling each other stories about talking animals, magic, witches and giants, kings and heroes since ancient times. A very significant literature genre, fairy tales are present in all cultures around the world. In comparison to myths and legends, the time and place of occurrence in fairy tales are unknown.

Good and evil in fairy tales is usually clearly separated, often in the form of good and evil characters. The main themes in these stories usually include a hero, a conflict between good and evil, natural and supernatural forces. At the end, the good is rewarded and evil punished.

Choose a story from the list



Authors & Books


Andrerw Lang

Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 - 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, and literary critic. Born in Selkirk, Lang was the oldest among eight siblings. After graduating, he began to publish his works, showing he was a gifted journalist, poet, and writer.
His books contain stories from around the world collected from various sources and translated mainly by his wife and other enthusiasts.


Check out other books by the Andrew Lang below

The Green Fairy Book

Notes: The third book from Andrew Lang's collection was first published in 1892 and contains 42 stories.

Author:
Editor: Andrew Lang
Published:
Publisher: Langmans, Green, and Co., London; New York


The Red Fairy Book

Notes: The second book from Andrew Lang's collection was first published in 1890 and contains 37 stories.

Author:
Editor: Andrew Lang
Published:
Publisher: Langmans, Green, and Co., London; New York



The Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm are probably the best known storytellers in the world. Many years have passed since the time Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm released their "Children's and household tales". The first edition and was very modest, both in appearance and capacity - there were only 83 stories, compared to the 200 we know today.

Grimm's fairy tales

Notes: Translated by Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes. Contains 62 stories.

Author:
Translator: Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes
Published:
Publisher: R. Meek & Co., London
Ages: 3-10+ years

Download .PDF

Check out other books by the Brothers Grimm below

Household tales by the Brothers Grimm

Notes: Translated by Margaret Hunt, this is the only book that contains the complete collection of the Brothers Grimms' Children's and Household Tales - 200 fairy tales and 10 legends.

Author:
Published:
Translator: Margaret Hunt
Publisher: George Bell and Sons, London
Ages: 10+ years

Download .PDF

Grimm's Fairy Stories

Notes: This book contains 25 stories by the Brothers Grimm.

Author:
Translator: Unknown
Published:
Publisher: Cupples and Leon Company, New York

Download .TXT

Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm

Notes: This fairy tale collection contains 52 of the Grimms' tales.

This new Dover edition, first published in 1963, is an unabridged republication of the work first published by Macmillan and Company in 1886.

Author:
Translator: Lucy Crane
Published:
Publisher: Dover Publications, New York (Macmillan & Co, London)

Download .TXT

Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault was a French writer who lived in the second half of XVII century. He was one of the first writers in European literature who turned his eyes to folklore. Born in 1628 in a clerical bourgeois family, Perrault received legal education and had high royal office. In the second half of XVII century there was a dispute amidst French writers about the advantage of modern writers compared to the writers of antiquity. Charles Perrault played an important role in...

The Tales of Mother Goose As First Collected by Charles Perrault in 1696


Notes: The first edition of Perrault's famous collection of fairy stories.
Author:
Translator: Charles Welsh
Published:
Publisher: D.C. Heath & Co., Boston; New York; Chicago


Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen, born April 2, 1805 in Odense, was a Danish writer and poet. In his early days, Andersen wanted to become an opera singer. In 1819 he went to Copenhagen to pursuit that dream. His voice, however, was too weak and he was accepted as a dance student at the Royal Theater.
In the style of the German romantics Andersen did a lot of travelling - to find himself in the world and the world in himself. In 1840-41, after visiting Germany, Italy, Malta and Greece, he came to Istambul and returned home through the Black Sea and the Danube.

Check out the complete collection of Hans Christian Anderesen fairy tales below

Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales


Notes
: This is the first of two volumes of Andersen's fairy tales edited by J. H. Stickney.

Author:
Editor: J. H. Stickney
Published:
Publisher: Ginn and Company - Boston; New York; Chicago; London


Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales Second Series


Notes
: This is the second volume of Andersen's stories edited by J. H. Stickney.

Author:
Editor: J. H. Stickney
Published:
Publisher: Ginn and Company - Boston; New York; Chicago; London

Ludwig Bechstein
Ludwig Bechstein

Ludwig Bechstein, born on 24 November 1801 in Weimar, was a German writer and collector of folk fairy tales.

Bechstein published many works and was a successful author of his time. His German Fairy Tale Book was even more popular than the Brothers Grimm's collection when it was first published in 1845. He published several collections of folk tales, and also published romances and poems.

The Book of German Folk- and Fairy Tales

Bechstein book cover 1

Notes: Translated by Dr. Michael George Haldane. Contains 100 fairy tales.

Author: Ludwig Bechstein
Translator: Dr. Michael George Haldane
Published: 1845-53


The New Book of German Fairy Tales

Bechstein book cover 2

Notes: Translated by Dr. Michael George Haldane. Contains 50 fairy tales.

Author: Ludwig Bechstein
Translator: Dr. Michael George Haldane
Published: 1856


Puss In Boots

Bechstein book cover 3

Notes: Translated by Dr. Michael George Haldane.
Author: Ludwig Bechstein
Translator: Dr. Michael George Haldane
Published: 1851


Nala and Damayanti

Bechstein book cover 4

Notes: Translated by Dr. Michael George Haldane.
Author: Ludwig Bechstein
Translator: Dr. Michael George Haldane
Published: 1852



Book Spotlight
Bechstein book cover
The Book of German Folk- and Fairy Tales