Beauties, Beasts and Enchantment: Classic French Fairy Tales

This is a selection of two dozen 17th- and 18th-century classic French fairy tales. Predating the Brothers Grimm by over 100 years, these tales set the standard and tone for the development of the literary fairy tale in the West. Included are the tales of Charles Perrault (1628-1703) who was, perhaps, the most popular and greatest stylist of the French fairy tale, creating such characters as Puss in Boots and Bluebeard, and transforming old folk tales such as "Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella" into moralistic stories that would interest both children and adults.