Classic Fairy Tales

This beautiful hardback anthology brings together the complete fairy tales by Charles Perrault, luxuriously presented with Harry Clarke’s iconic, full-colour illustrations and gold gilded page edges.

First published in 1697, Charles Perrault’s charming collection, Histoires ou contes du temps passé, is the reason the world fell in love with fairy tales, and these fantastical stories have delighted readers ever since - from the legendary romances of ’Cinderella’ and the ’Sleeping Beauty’ to amusing fables such as ’Puss in Boots’.

The inclusion of the wonderful and whimsical illustrations of the great Irish artist Harry Clarke give Perrault’s work an added air of magic that will entrance readers of all ages.

Charles Perrault (1628-1703) was a leading author of fairy stories, basing his tales on folk tales long before the Brothers Grimm. A member of the Académie Française, he was a huge influence on French literature in the 17th century and helped to found the Académie des Sciences. He was also influential at the French Court of Louis XIV, advising him on the garden at Versailles. A writer of poetry and memoirs, he is considered one of France’s most important literary figures.

Harry Clarke (1889-1931) was an Irish artist renowned for his designs for stained-glass windows and his distinctive style of book illustrations. Educated in Dublin, Clarke moved to London in the early years of the 20th century to find work. His stained-glass designs won him various medals and awards both at home and internationally. His illustrative work can be seen in collections of the stories of Edgar Allan Poe as well as collections of fairy stories and the poetry of Charles Swinburne.