The Olive Fairy Book includes unusual stories from Turkey, India, Denmark, Armenia, the Sudan, and the pen of Anatole France. But all of the stories are told in the common language of the fairy tale, and their heroes -- the Green Knight who is saved by a soup made from nine snakes, the lovely Dorani who flies every night to fairyland, the king who understands the language of the animals -- will be welcome to children and grown-ups alike.
All in all, this collection contains 29 stories, all narrated in clear lively prose. Not only are Lang's collections generally considered to contain the best English versions of the standard stories; they are the richest and widest in range.
Admirable series of photographic reprints of the first editions. Altogether very good value. -- New York Review of Books.