Old Fairy Tales from Around the World

A Collection of Myths, Legends and Folklore Surrounding Fairies, Elves, Spirits and Other Magical Creatures

By: Frances Jenkins Olcott, William Allan Neilson, Charles William Eliot, Katharine Pyle, William Patten - editor

Narrated by: James Francis Markert

A collection of stories drawn from some of the finest early 20th-century works on folklore and mythology.

Compiled from carefully chosen volumes, this edition brings together works that have remained quietly preserved in earlier publications, now available again for new audiences to discover.

The Collection includes:

• The Book of Elves and Fairies for Story-Telling and Reading Aloud by Frances Jenkins Olcott
• The Junior Classics Volume 1: Fairy and Wonder Tales by William Allan Neilson, William Patten and Charles William Eliot
• Tales of Folk and Fairies by Katharine Pyle

Inside, you'll encounter enchanted princesses, mischievous elves, mysterious spirits, shape-shifting animals, and noble heroes facing trials beyond imagination. Whether it's the delicate retellings of Katharine Pyle, offering graceful versions of beloved fairy tales, or the rich global selections curated by master editors like William Allan Neilson, William Patten, and Charles William Eliot, every story carries its own touch of magic.

These timeless narratives draw from a tapestry of world folklore, blending European classics with echoes from faraway cultures. Each tale offers not only entertainment but a glimpse into the values, fears, and hopes that have captivated humanity for centuries.

Ideal for both devoted fans of folklore and those discovering these enchanting stories for the first time, this collection serves as both a nostalgic treasure and a fresh doorway into the enduring realm of fairy tales.

Public Domain (P)2025 Chronos Publishing

The best collection of stories I have read

Of all the collections of myths and legends I have read, this is my favorite. This collection is full of quaint and cute, wild and wonderful, and even scary stories and characters from various countries around the world.

Perhaps I love these stories because I did not grow up with stories about fairies or little people. I had some Mother Goose and some Hans Christian Andersen, with a touch if Aesop's Fables for extra flavor. I did encounter fairies in some stories like Peter Pan, but didn't know anything more about them. I didn't even realize they were part of folklore, so it has been fun getting to know all these wonderful characters I'm so unfamiliar with.

The narrator, Mr. Markert, goes above and beyond in his narration of this book. Sometimes I even wondered if he had been joined with another narrator because he varied his voice so much. He makes each tale fun and entertaining, as though he is the village storyteller entertaining a circle of children.

Entertaining Compendium of Fairy Tales

Besides classic fairy tales that you have probably heard, there are dozens of stories that will likely be new. Because of the variety of cultures represented, there are a wide range of the types of stories available, and the morals involved.

Wonderful collection

There were quite a few familiar stories through this book but there were quite a few that I had never heard of before. Overall it is a great collection of fairy tales. The narration was really good too.

Incredibly curated fairy tale compilation

Wow! This is an exhaustive collection of stories about fairies! It's first divided into four groups of stories. Then each group is divided into separate stories with the title of the story. Most of the stories are about 25 to 45 minutes in length. Just right for the telling and for listeners to understand and grasp the message of the fairy tale. Some of them, not many, are over an hour. There are also lots of shorter stories, around ten minutes or less, that I think kids would enjoy listening to.
The narrator has lots of emotion and inflection in his voice and kids would enjoy listening to him tell the stories.
These are well-researched and organized and I think lots of people could enjoy this collection.
The way that it's organized makes it easy to search up a specific story and listen to it, perhaps for research or a school report or something like that. These are simple to understand and it's nice that they're all collected into one audiobook.

Time travel

Listening to these stories reminded me of books I used to read as a child. There were even some more that I never heard of. I truly enjoyed listening to these tales.