I had the honor of writing the introduction for Folio Society‘s new collection of Grimms’ Fairy Tales, a task which was both delightful and daunting. I had such a wonderful time rereading these tales for the first time in years, finding new favorite stories and moments. There’s too much to say about these stories. About all of these objects and characters and paths through the woods. It was difficult to capture the depth and the darkness in only a few pages, but hopefully my introduction serves as an appropriate blend of wishes and warnings for those entering this particular forest.
I am always astounded by how much thought and detail The Folio Society puts into each and every one of their books, they are absolute works of art. This collection includes fifty selected tales both familiar and less so (special thanks to Folio for asking me if there were any in particular that I’d like to see included and adding Fitcher’s Bird for me, all feathers and honey). These stories were translated by Jack Zipes and they are wrapped in beautiful, bold illustrations by Sophy Hollington.
As of this writing there are only a few copies remaining of the very fancy limited edition but Vesper recommends the standard edition, it’s the one she keeps sitting on.
So much gratitude to Folio Society for inviting me to be a part of this project and giving me an excuse to revisit and reread so many glorious tales. These are old stories but there’s so much to discover, still, no matter how many times you’ve heard them or read them or reread them. So many things lost in the woods, waiting to be found.