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A Book of Witches is an anthology, originally published in 1966, of twelve fairy tales that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. The book is illustrated by Robin Jacques. There are good witches and bad witches in the stories. Unfortunately the number of the bad witches is great, and the number of the good witches is very small in this book at least. In all the stories in this book, you will only find one mention of a good witch, and that is at the beginning of the Norwegian tale of Tatterhood. And you will see that had the queen done exactly what this good little witch bade her, there would be no more story to tell, but she does not and thus the story continues.These bad witches are powerful. They can fly through the air on broomsticks, or on stalks of ragwort, or even on old jars; they can raise tempests; they can cross the sea in stone boats, or kneading troughs, or sieves; in their great cauldrons they can brew magic potions that put spells on their enemies; and they can turn themselves, and other people, into pigs, or geese, or cats, or hares, or into any other shape they fancy.In some fairy tales, too, there are wicked witch-maidens, who are surpassingly beautiful; and these maidens are perhaps the most dangerous witches of all. Anyone, meeting with a humpy-backed old woman, with a great hooked nose, little red eyes, huge leering mouth, and craggy chin, might recognize such a creature for the witch she was, and so be on his guard. But if confronted with a sweet-voiced maiden of dazzling beauty - who would suspect evil? You have to be a very sharp fellow, like the hero of the Bohemian story, Johnny and the Witch-Maidens, to recognize the real nature of these fascinating and seemingly innocent damsels. And even Johnny might have been deceived by their charms, had he not been forewarned by his poor old master.Some witches have big families of daughters, you will find thirteen of these daughters in the Danish story of Esben and the Witch. But it is rarely that you come across a witch who has a son. You might think that to be the son of a witch was not a happy fate; but, provided that the son is good, he has at least one advantage: he picks up a lot of magic from his witch-mother, and so is able to foil her evil spells. One such son is the handsome Benvenuto, in the Italian story of Prunella.Of the rest of the stories, Rapunzel, Lazy Hans, The Donkey Lettuce and Hansel and Gretel, all come from Germany. The White Dove is a Danish story, and The Old Witch an English one; The Twins and the Snarling Witch comes from Russia, and The Blackstairs Mountain from Ireland.Now in all these stories, as in the fairy tales about witches in general, you may be sure of one thing: however terrible the witches may seem - and whatever power they may have to lay spells on people and to work mischief - they are always defeated. So that though, at some point in the story, you may find the hero or heroine in utter distress, you need never fear for them. Because it is the absolute and very comforting rule of the fairy tale that the good brave shall be rewarded, and that bad people shall come to a bad end.

A Book of Witches is an anthology, originally published in 1966, of twelve fairy tales that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. The book is illustrated by Robin Jacques. There are good witches and bad witches in the stories. Unfortunately the number of the bad witches is great, and the number of the good witches is very small in this book at least. In all the stories in this book, you will only find one mention of a good witch, and that is at the beginning of the Norwegian tale of Tatterhood. And you will see that had the queen done exactly what this good little witch bade her, there would be no more story to tell, but she does not and thus the story continues. These bad witches are powerful. They can fly through the air on broomsticks, or on stalks of ragwort, or even on old jars; they can raise tempests; they can cross the sea in stone boats, or kneading troughs, or sieves; in their great cauldrons they can brew magic potions that put spells on their enemies; and they can turn themselves, and other people, into pigs, or geese, or cats, or hares, or into any other shape they fancy. In some fairy tales, too, there are wicked witch-maidens, who are surpassingly beautiful; and these maidens are perhaps the most dangerous witches of all. Anyone, meeting with a humpy-backed old woman, with a great hooked nose, little red eyes, huge leering mouth, and craggy chin, might recognize such a creature for the witch she was, and so be on his guard. But if confronted with a sweet-voiced maiden of dazzling beauty - who would suspect evil? You have to be a very sharp fellow, like the hero of the Bohemian story, Johnny and the Witch-Maidens, to recognize the real nature of these fascinating and seemingly innocent damsels. And even Johnny might have been deceived by their charms, had he not been forewarned by his poor old master. Some witches have big families of daughters, you will find thirteen of these daughters in the Danish story of Esben and the Witch. But it is rarely that you come across a witch who has a son. You might think that to be the son of a witch was not a happy fate; but, provided that the son is good, he has at least one advantage: he picks up a lot of magic from his witch-mother, and so is able to foil her evil spells. One such son is the handsome Benvenuto, in the Italian story of Prunella. Of the rest of the stories, Rapunzel, Lazy Hans, The Donkey Lettuce and Hansel and Gretel, all come from Germany. The White Dove is a Danish story, and The Old Witch an English one; The Twins and the Snarling Witch comes from Russia, and The Blackstairs Mountain from Ireland. Now in all these stories, as in the fairy tales about witches in general, you may be sure of one thing: however terrible the witches may seem - and whatever power they may have to lay spells on people and to work mischief - they are always defeated. So that though, at some point in the story, you may find the hero or heroine in utter distress, you need never fear for them. Because it is the absolute and very comforting rule of the fairy tale that the good brave shall be rewarded, and that bad people shall come to a bad end.

A fairy tale collection featuring dragons from around the world. The stories were collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. Each fairy tale is illustrated by Robin Jacques.

A fairy tale collection featuring dragons from around the world. The stories were collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. Each fairy tale is illustrated by Robin Jacques.

Stories about mermaids come from almost every country by the sea-from Iceland to India; America to Arabia. Most mermaids have flowing golden hair, long graceful tails, and a beauty that lures men to the bottom of the sea. Sven, in the Danish story, "Sven and Lilli," followed Lilli to her ocean home, where "they live happily. And there, in their domed house under the sea, so people say, they are living still."But not all mermaids are beautiful, and some are unchancy creatures indeed. There is a mermaid in the Irish tale, "The Magic Lake," who has "pig's eyes and wolf's teeth, and a mouth...grinning from ear to ear." And the beautiful mermaid Groach, in the Breton story, "The Groach of the Isle of Lok," casts a spell over handsome young men, marries them, and then turns them into rainbow-colored fish.In these sixteen stories Ruth Manning-Sanders captures the quicksilver personalities of mermaids and mermen as she tells of their marvelous schemes and adventures.

Spine-tingling collection of spooky and scary tales from around the world. Stories include Ironhead from Hungary, The Demon's Daughter from Transylvania, Tripple-Trapple from Denmark, plus tales from Norway, Alsace, India and Finland. Each story is illustrated by the Robin Jacques and written by Ruth Manning-Sanders.

From the talented creators Ruth Manning-Sanders and Robin Jacques come twelve fairy and folk tales from around the world all featuring spells, sorcerers or both. The stories are from countries around the world such as Russia, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Sudan, Italy, and more. Perfect fairy tales to read aloud or independently. A great gift for adults and children alike.

Giants are as old as storytelling itself- and as varied. The stories in this book come from many countries - England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and Romania. In these eighteen tales, Ruth Manning-Sanders writes of such old friends as Jack and the Beanstalk. She also includes stories of less familiar giants such as Sneezy Snatcher and Cucullin. The book is illustrated by the award-winning Robin Jacques.

Twenty-one stories of ghosts and goblins from around the world. The book contains both spine-tingling tales and ones that will have you laughing out loud. A Book of Ghosts and Goblins is part of the series of Fairy Tales by Ruth Manning-Sanders. The illustrations by the talented Robin Jacques add to the wonderful collection. The tales are from many different countries including Hungary, Spain, France, Scotland, Siberia, Estonia, and Italy. Stories included: A Box on the Ear, The Goblins at the Bath House, Golden Hair, Bring Me a Light, The Cook and the House Goblin, The Skull, The Tailor in the Church, Pappa Greatnose, Hans and His Master, The Golden Ball, The Strange Adventure of Paddy O'Toole, Little Jip, The Headless Horseman, The Ring, Water Drops, The Maiden Suvarna, The Beauty and Her Gallant, The Kindly Ghost, The Three Silver Balls, The Good Woman, and The Leg of Gold. Other books by Ruth Manning-Sanders and Robin Jacques include: A Book of MermaidsA Book of WitchesA Book of Princes and PrincessesA Book of Kings and Queens A Book of DragonsA Book of Devils and Demons

Twenty-three spooky folktales from around the world. Written by Ruth Manning-Sanders and illustrated by Robin Jacques. The stories come from China, English, Korea, Iceland, Switzerland, Denmark and many more countries from around the world.

From the talented creators Ruth Manning-Sanders and Robin Jacques come twelve fairy and folk tales from around the world all featuring spells, sorcerers or both. The stories are from countries around the world such as Russia, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Sudan, Italy, and more. Perfect fairy tales to read aloud or independently.

A charm is a magic spell worked with the use of an amulet, bringing about either good or ill. A changeling in fairy tales is much rarer. It is a horrid little fairy creature mischievously exchanged for a look-alike human child. Pity the one who has to try and get the real child back In this collection, Ruth Manning-Sanders engagingly includes tales of each. A piece of amber fills up a wine jug as soon as it is emptied, a bridle can turn anything into anything, a cap can make the wearer invisible As for changelings, there are beautiful maidens, and a raven - and more.Ruth Manning-Sanders conjured up a strange and exciting world in these tales which Robin Jacques captures so well in his fine illustrations.

Giants are as old as storytelling itself- and as varied. The stories in this book come from many countries - England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and Romania. In these eighteen tales, Ruth Manning-Sanders writes of such old friends as Jack and the Beanstalk. She also includes stories of less familiar giants such as Sneezy Snatcher and Cucullin. The book is illustrated by the award-winning Robin Jacques.