From the years far back, before the Bible was written, there had been handed down the tale that one time the earth had grown so wicked that there seemed nothing for God to do but to wash it clean and…
The Story of Tom Thumb
In the days of King Arthur there lived a famous magician called Merlin. One day, when he was travelling the country disguised as a beggar, he stopped at the cottage of a poor ploughman to ask for food. The ploughman…
Cinderella
Once upon a time there lived a poor Baron who had two step-daughters and a daughter of his own.The step-daughters were ugly, spoilt and bad-tempered. One was very thin, the other was very fat, and they both had great big…
A Proud Linguist
Once upon a time there was an Austrian emperor who made it a rule to interview every one of his soldiers once a year. During the interviews he invariably asked three questions — ‘How old are you?’, ‘How long have…
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (2)
Excerpt from the First Part Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1) One day, when Aladdin was in a public garden, he happened to see Princess Badroulbadour, the daughter of the sultan. She was so beautiful that Aladdin fell in love…
The Woodman and the Fairy’s Three Wishes
Once upon a time, there lived a woodman and his wife. They were very poor, and they lived in a cottage on the edge of a forest. Every day, the woodman would set out early in the morning to chop…
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1)
Aladdin was the son of a poor tailor named Mustapha. When he was ten years old, his father took him into his shop to teach him the trade. But Aladdin did not want to become a tailor. All day long…
The Little Jackal and the Camel
A little jackal and a camel lived for a long time in the same village. The jackal was always full of fun and always ready to play tricks on his friends. One summer morning the jackal could find very few…
Hamlet
The young prince of Denmark was once the happiest young man in the country, but a great trouble came into his life. His father died suddenly in a mysterious way, so that Hamlet became very sad and upset. Hamlet was…
Shingebis and the North Wind
A Folktale of the North-American Indians Long, long ago, in the time when only a few people lived on the earth, there was a tribe of fishermen. In summer they travelled far to the North where they found good fish…