Andrew Lang collected fairy tales from a wide variety of sources between 1889 and 1910. The STCC library has some of these beautifully illustrated volumes, and you can also find all of the books freely available on the web to read (here), as audio books (here), or as e-books through the STCC Library catalog.
The Red Fairy Book by
The famed folklorist collects 37 tales of enchantment, ranging from the familiar ("Rapunzel," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and "The Golden Goose") to lesser-known stories ("The Voice of Death," "The Enchanted Pig," and "The Master Thief"). Sources include French, Russian, Danish, and Romanian tales as well as Norse mythology. 97 illustrations.
The Green Fairy Book by
Giants, dwarfs, monsters, and magicians star in 42 classic stories from China, Russia, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Scotland, and England. Includes "The Three Little Pigs" and "The Half-Chick." 100 illustrations.
The Pink Fairy Book by
Forty-one Japanese, Scandinavian, and Sicilian tales: "The Snow-Queen," "The Cunning Shoemaker," "The Two Brothers," "The Merry Wives," "The Man without a Heart," and more. All the stories are narrated in the clear, lively prose for which Lang was famous and are considered to be the very best English versions available. Includes 69 illustrations.
The Violet Fairy Book by
Roumania, Japan, Serbia, Lithuania, Africa, Portugal, and Russia are among the sources of these 35 stories that tell of a haunted forest, chests of gold coins, a magical dog, and a man who outwits a dragon. 74 illustrations.
Search the HELM Catalog to find books, ebooks, films, and other materials available from the STCC Library and other community college libraries. Search by author, title of a tale, or subject by selecting one of these options from the lower left dropdown menu.
Some example subject search terms include:
*For more information on searching the catalog and finding materials, click here.
Not sure where to start? Try browsing the stacks. You might find something you know and love, or you might find something totally new! The stacks are organized by call number, and each call number range represents a particular subject. This means that books on the same topic will be located in the same general area.
Folklore and fairy tales for children are located in the PZ call number range in the Children's Books section. Also, look for the "Folk and Fairy Tales" sign pointing to our collection of children's picture books in this genre. Many of the background resources and folklore from around the world can be found in the GR call number range of the 2nd floor stacks. Books on mythology from all cultures are grouped in the BL call number range and folkore of the American indigenous population can be found in both the 2nd floor stacks and the juvenile section in the E98-99 call number range.
In addition to the many books listed around this guide, here are a few unique items to spark your research interests! As always, hover your mouse over the
icon for a synopsis of or more information about any of the sources listed here.
The Book of Imaginary Beings by
The Book of Imaginary Beings is Borgess whimsical compendium of more than one hundred of the strange creatures conceived down through history by the human imagination. This unique contribution to fantasy literature ranges widely across the worlds mythologies and literatures to bring together the fantastical inventions drawn from the Kabbalah, Homer, Confucius, Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and Kafka, among others. Here readers will find the familiar and expected dragons, centaurs, and unicorns, as well as the less familiar and altogether unexpected Animals That Live in the Mirror, the Humbaba, the Simurgh, and other undeniably curious beasts.
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead by
This reference presents vampire lore and legends from around the world, with coverage of the historical, literary, mythological, biographical and popular aspects of the vampire figure. It gives an alphabetical list of definitions of terms, descriptions of places and biographies of vampires (fictional and allegedly real), along with the actors who have portrayed them and the authors who created them. There are also descriptions of vampire appearances in different cultures and other topics, such as sexuality) associated with vampires.
Trolls: An Unnatural History by
Trolls lurk under bridges waiting to eat children, threaten hobbits in Middle-Earth, and invade the dungeons of Hogwarts. Often they are depicted as stupid, slow, and ugly creatures, but they also appear as comforting characters in some children' s stories or as plastic dolls with bright, fuzzy hair. Today, the name of this fantastic being from Scandinavia has found a wider reach: it is the word for the homeless in California and slang for the antagonizing and sometimes cruel people on the Internet. To explain why trolls still hold our interest, John Lindow goes back to their first appearances in Scandinavian folklore, where they were beings in nature living beside a preindustrial society of small-scale farming and fishing. He explores reports of actual encounters with trolls - meetings others found plausible in spite of their better judgment - and follows trolls' natural transition from folktales to other domains in popular culture.
Cinderella is one of the most beloved fairy tales. The STCC library has a number of variations of this story from many different cultures. How do these retellings compare? What elements of the tale seem universal? What aspects of the story are different?
Cinderella by 
Yeh-Shen by 
The Egyptian Cinderella by 
The Rough-Face Girl by 
Sootface by 
Cendrillon by 
The Orphan: A Cinderella Story from Greece by
Visit the Cinderella Bibliography from the University of Rochester for a compendium of versions from around the world in various media both ancient and modern, including print, film and tv, decorative objects, and stage performances.
