The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen (The Annotated Books)

A richly entertaining and informative collection of Hans Christian Andersens stories annotated by one of Americas leading folklore scholars. In her most ambitious annotated work to date Maria Tatar celebrates the stories told by Denmarks "perfect wizard" and re-envisions Hans Christian Andersen as a writer who casts his spell on both children and adults. Andersens most beloved tales such as "The Emperors New Clothes " "The Ugly Duckling " and "The Little Mermaid " are now joined by "The Shadow" and "Story of a Mother " mature stories that reveal his literary range and depth. Tatar captures the tales unrivaled dramatic and visual power showing exactly how Andersen became one of the worlds ten most translated authors along with Shakespeare Dickens and Marx. Lushly illustrated with more than one hundred fifty rare images many in full color by artists such as Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen will captivate readers with annotations that explore the rich social and cultural dimensions of the nineteenth century and construct a compelling portrait of a writer whose stories still fascinate us today.