The Provensen Book of Fairy Tales - by Alice Provensen & Martin Provensen (Hardcover)

About the Book

Originally published: New York: Random House, 1971.

Book Synopsis

Now back in print, a beautifully illustrated collection of twelve reimagined fairy tales, including classics like "Beauty and the Beast" and literary tales like Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince."

Alice and Martin Provensen were one of the most talented husband-and-wife author-illustrator teams of the twentieth century. A long-out-of-print cult classic first published 50 years ago, The Provensen Book of Fairy Tales is a treasury of their illustrations accompanied by fairy tales from authors such as A. A. Milne, Hans Christian Andersen, and Oscar Wilde. Here too are clever retellings and newly imagined tales: refined old favorites like Arthur Rackham's "Beauty and the Beast," feminist revisions like Elinor Mordaunt's "The Prince and the Goose Girl," and sensitive stories by literary stylists like Henry Beston's "The Lost Half-Hour" and Katharine Pyle's "The Dreamer." Full of magic, ingenuity, and humor, The Provensen Book of Fairy Tales is a witty modern descendant of Grimm's Fairy Tales and a classic in its own right, sure to be beloved by a new generation.

Review Quotes

"Superb, spectacularly detailed, and lovingly designed." --Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

"The voices of these master storytellers are unfailingly distinctive and involving; frequent full-page-plus illustrations in the Provensens' inimitable style provide robust accompaniment. A foreword by Joan Bodger (author of How the Heather Looks) explaining the ­difference between a ­literary fairy tale and a folktale is a delightful bonus." --Martha V. Parravano, The Horn Book

"This title has lost none of its charm. . . Within these twelve classic tales there is a story that will appeal to almost all readers and the illustrations stand out for their ingenuity. . . What a joy this collection is, a collection deservedly brought back to our shelves." --Armadillo Children's Books Newsletter

About the Author

Alice (1918-2018) and Martin Provensen (1916-1987) illustrated more than forty books together, nineteen of which they also edited. They were runners-up for the Caldecott Medal in 1982 for their illustrations of Nancy Willard's A Visit to William Blake's Inn and won the Caldecott in 1984 for a book they wrote and illustrated, The Glorious Flight. Eight of their books have been named as New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year. They lived for many years in Dutchess County, New York.