"Fairy Tales" by Hans Christian Andersen. New Translation. With over 200 illustrations by Harrison Weir, V. Pendersen, M.L. Stone, A.W. Bayes and others. Published by Edward Canby, Dayton, Ohio, copyright 1884 by Worthington. Features Hans Andersen's classics with some lesser-known tales of fairies and wonder. Alphabetical index of contents at end.

Hard boards, original publisher's maroon cloth with black decorations on the front board and spine, gold on spine; 5" x 7.1/2"; vintage pencil inscription on the front endpaper, 351 pages with 200 woodcut text illustrations + one page index; more or less stains almost all of the pages; bottom fold the page# 99/100 [see photo]; heavy stock paper, no tears, good condition.

Danish writer, famous for his fairy tales, which were not meant merely for children but for adults as well. Andersen used frequently colloquial style that disguises the sophisticated moral teachings of his tales. Before achieving success as a playwright and novelist, Andersen was trained as singer and actor. Many of Andersen's fairy tales depict characters who gain happiness in life after suffering and conflicts. "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Mermaid" are Andersen's most intimate works.

Hans Christian Andersen was born in the slums of Odense. His father, Hans Andersen, was a poor shoemaker and literate, who believed he was of aristocratic origin. Andersen's mother, Anne Marie Andersdatter, worked as washerwoman. Although she was uneducated and superstitious, she opened for his son the world of folklore. Later Andersen depicted her in his novels and in the story 'Hun duede ikke'.
Andersen received little education. Encouraged by his parents he composed his own fairy tales and arrange puppet theater shows.At the age of 14 Andersen moved to Copenhagen to start a career as a singer, dancer or an actor - he had a beautiful soprano voice. Andersen's fame rests on his "Fairy Tales and Stories" written between 1835 and 1872...--- ,Andersen broke new ground in both style and content. Andersen's identification with the unfortunate and outcast made his tales very compelling. Some of Andersen's tales revealed an optimistic belief in the triumph of the good, among them "The Snow Queen", "Little Ugly Duckling", and some ended unhappily, like "The Little Match Girl". In "The Little Mermaid" the author expressed a longing for ordinary life - he never had such.

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