Famous fairy tales never go out of fashion. Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are among the most beloved stories retold, again and again, by authors and illustrators. For fans, here are 10 of the best fairy tale books for adults – from timeless classics to modern versions with an enchanting twist. Each of these beautiful books is a work of art in its own right.
1. Snow White and Other Grimms’ Fairy Tales – Illustrated MinaLima Edition
Snow White and Other Grimms’ Fairy Tales includes twenty-three of the most popular tales penned by German brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, taken from their original collection Children’s and Household Tales, first published in 1812. Among the classic tales are Ashputtel (Cinderella), Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel and Rumpelstiltskin.
This deluxe classic illustrated book is also a wonderland of its own, with extraordinary interactive features ranging from a pop-up forest and pull-tab mirror for Snow White and a wall of thorns encasing Sleeping Beauty to a three-dimensional ball gown for Cinderella and a pop-up tower for Rapunzel. The stunning full-colour artwork has been created by MinaLima, the award-winning design studio behind the graphics for the Harry Potter film franchise.
2. Angela Carter’s Book Of Fairy Tales
Once upon a time fairy tales weren’t meant just for children, and neither is Angela Carter’s Book of Fairy Tales. This stunning collection contains lyrical tales, bloody tales and hilariously funny and ripely bawdy stories from countries all around the world- from the Arctic to Asia – and no dippy princesses or soppy fairies. Instead, we have pretty maids and old crones; crafty women and bad girls; enchantresses and midwives; rascal aunts and odd sisters.
This fabulous celebration of strong minds, low cunning, black arts and dirty tricks could only have been collected by the unique and much-missed Angela Carter. Illustrated throughout with beautiful original woodcuts, it’s one of the best fairy tale retelling books for your shelf.
3. From The Beast To The Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers Paperback by Marina Warner
Entrancing, multi-layered and as wittily subversive as fairy tales themselves, this beautifully illustrated work explores and illuminates the unfolding history of famous fairy tales and the contexts in which they flourished. It also lifts the curtain on the tellers themselves – from ancient sibyls and old crones to the more modern Angela Carter and, of course, Walt Disney. A brilliant compendium of folklore, fairytales and learning which reveals unexpected links and histories behind some of our oldest and most-loved tales.
4. Arthur Rackham’s Fairy Tale Illustrations
Among the most famous fairy tale illustrators is Arthur Rackham, one of England’s leading illustrators of the early 20th century. This book comprises a superb collection of 55 lovely plates, reproduced from rare, early editions, with scenes from Irish Fairy Tales, English Fairy Tales, Hansel and Gretel, Snowdrop and Other Tales, Little Brother & Little Sister, and more.
5. Edmund Dulac’s Fairy Tale Illustrations
These 55 masterworks by one of the most influential ― and most prolific ― illustrators of children’s books during the early 20th century include exquisite images for “The Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella,” “The Snow Queen,” “The Real Princess,” and other beguiling tales. An invaluable treasury for lovers of fine art; a delight for fairy-tale enthusiasts.
6. The Complete Grimms’ Fairy Tales (Deluxe Hardbound Edition)
For over a century, the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales have captivated imaginations, inspiring countless adaptations. This exquisite leather-bound edition features 200 fairy tales and 10 children’s legends, translated by Margaret Hunt. Cherished stories like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Rumpelstiltskin offer a treasure trove of enchantment for all ages. Embrace the timeless magic and legacy of the Grimm brothers’ extraordinary tales.
7. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Other Stories – Leatherbound Classic Collection
This volume features all the best-known works of Lewis Carroll, including the novels, Alices Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, with the classic illustrations of John Tenniel. This compilation also features Carrolls novels, Sylvie and Bruno and Sylvie and Bruno Concluded, his masterpiece of nonsense verse, The Hunting of the Snark and miscellaneous poems, short stories, puzzles and acrostics.
8. Tales from 1,001 Nights: Aladdin, Ali Baba and Other Favourites – Penguin Clothbound Classics
Part of Penguin’s beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, this delectable and collectible edition is bound in high-quality, colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design.
Every night for three years the vengeful King Shahriyar sleeps with a different virgin, executing her next morning. To end this brutal pattern and to save her own life, the vizier’s daughter, Shahrazad, begins to tell the king tales of adventure, love, riches and wonder – tales of mystical lands peopled with princes and hunchbacks, the Angel of Death and magical spirits, tales of the voyages of Sindbad, of Ali Baba’s outwitting a band of forty thieves and of jinnis trapped in rings and in lamps. The sequence of stories will last 1,001 nights . . .
9. Hans Christian Andersen’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Complete Fairy Tales – Leather-bound Classics
All the best-loved fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, including “The Ugly Duckling,” “Thumbelina,” “The Red Shoes,” “The Princess on the Pea,” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” fill the pages of this beautiful leather-bound collector’s edition. Also included is “The Tallow Candle”—one of the earliest stories written by Andersen, just discovered recently! A great book of bedtime stories or for rainy day reading, as there are both short and long anecdotes included. The attached bookmark ribbon ensures you’ll never lose your place as you wander through the imagination of one of the most popular children’s writers of all time. Curl up with this collection of classics and lose yourself in childhood memories.
10. Fairy Tales from Around the World – Leather Bound by Andrew Lang
Fairy Tales from Around the World is a treasure trove of the world’s best-loved fairy and folk tales. It features more than 100 fairy tales representing more than fifty nations, all selected from The Blue Fairy Book and eleven other collections compiled by Andrew Lang. The book also includes more than 100 illustrations by H.J. Ford that bring their magic and marvels vividly to life.Fairy Tales from Around the World is one of Barnes & Noble’s Collectible Editions classics. Each volume features authoritative texts by the world’s greatest authors in an exquisitely designed bonded-leather binding, with distinctive gilt edging and a silk-ribbon bookmark. Decorative, durable, and collectible, these books offer hours of pleasure to readers young and old and are an indispensable cornerstone for any home library.
