Children's fairy tales but not what has been watered down and added with cutesy animals. Not as graphic as some versions of the old tales, but a good collection of the tales from this master storyteller. ( )

Many of Hans Andersen's stories, such as The Little Mermaid, The Little Matchgirl and The Steadfast Tin Soldier, reflect a Victorian sensibility that even children must have a personal familiarity with death, having siblings and grandparents who have died. Stories that include the death of the principle character are appropriate for them. And these deaths are presented as a part of life, in some cases not only inevitable, but better than the alternative (The Little Match Girl).

Death is not a big theme in modern children's literature! Some libraries even put these books in a special section since some parents feel strongly they are not appropriate for their children. And where death appears, it is presented as an unexpected, unusual tragedy, a violation of an assumption that every story, and every life, will have a happy ending.

This is a really great edition. I have a hard time believing it's really the 1932 edition, because it's in good shape, but I haven't found any reprint information on the Internet. Unfortunately there's no copyright date inside. It has beautiful Arthur Rackham illustrations; they really make the book. The only thing it's missing is the dustjacket. Andersen is probably my favorite fairy tale writer, to top it off. ( )