First published 1987
This collection brings together twenty stories from world literature, each one sparked by Walter Anderson's spectacular artwork. Douglas draws from the Brothers Grimm, Ovid, Malory, Burton, and Perrault to recreate beloved tales like Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Magic Carpet, and The Fisherman and the Genie. She retells adventures of Sinbad and the Roc, the romance of Cupid and Psyche, and the legend of King Arthur's birth and coronation. Classic fairy tales appear alongside mythological stories like Europa and the Bull and The Golden Apples of the Hesperides. Anderson's twenty-four full-color illustrations, adapted from massive linoleum block prints and hand-colored by his niece, accompany each story. The book demonstrates how great art and storytelling inspire each other. Anderson's fantastical pictures motivated Douglas to return to the original tales and give them new life while preserving their enduring appeal.
Genres: short-stories, adventure, fantasy, fairy-tale-retellings
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, retelling
186 pages · Hardcover · University Press of Mississippi