Book Description

Rediscover a Victorian-era collection of fairy tales. Employing sorcery, a wicked princess wears the princes and kings who desire to marry her as crystal beads strung on a gold chain around her neck. A musician searches the world for his missing wife, unaware that elves have transformed her into the golden harp he plays every day. A determined prince embarks on a quest to find the evil fairy who stole the heart of his beloved princess. These are just a few of the inventive and captivating stories in this fine new edition of Mary De Morgan’s fairy tales, The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde and Other Stories (1880). Despite her fairy tales being well-known and loved during her time, De Morgan has been overlooked by history and largely forgotten. Considered one of the earliest feminist writers, her influential fairy tales often reflected her social and political ideologies, including reform for women. Featuring strong heroines and subverted gender roles, her untraditional stories often eschewed wealth and power, and occasionally ended sadly with no happily-ever-after. Also included in this new edition is the story “Through the Fire” from On a Pincushion (1877), De Morgan’s first published book of fairy tales. Immerse yourself in a young boy’s adventure as he journeys to the North Pole on a mission for the fire Princess. Fans of Hans Christian Anderson and George MacDonald will adore De Morgan’s rediscovered collection of fairy tales. Foreword by Dr. Marilyn Pemberton, Out of the Shadows: The Life and Works of Mary De Morgan (2012).