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A fascinating collection of some of the great - but less well known - fairy tales of all time.

'East of the Sun and West of the Moon' is a fairy tale from Norway. A poor family is visited one night by a white bear who promises to make them rich if they will give him their youngest daughter. At first the girl refuses, but over several days she is persuaded to go with the bear. She is carried away on his back to a marvellous castle, where she learns that the bear turns into a prince at night.

'The Bronze Ring' is a story in which a princess falls in love with the son of the palace gardener, although her father wishes her to marry the son of his Prime Minister. The King devises a quest for the two suitors and attempts to engineer the situation so that the rich youth will win. But the gardener's son does a good deed to an old woman, who in return helps him win a magic ring which will grant wishes. But the youth's adventures are not over when he marries the princess. The ring is stolen, and he must enlist the aid of some very clever mice to get it back.

'The Donkey Skin' is a strange fairy tale of a princess who escapes an unwanted marriage by running away from the palace dressed in a donkey skin, to a hard life of poverty as a hen-wife. When a young prince happens to catch a glimpse of her without her donkey skin, he falls in love with her. But how is he to find the beautiful maiden again?

Three princes are sent on a quest by their father, to find who it is who steals the golden apples from the King's tree. The youngest son befriends a wolf who is in reality a magician. From the wolf he learns that a magical golden bird is the thief. In attempting to steal the golden bird, the prince is captured by its owner, the Emperor. The latter agrees to spare the prince's life if he can steal the golden horse from the ruler of the neighbouring kingdom. In attempting to do this the prince is again captured.

Andrew Lang (1844-1912) was a Scottish poet and novelist, best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. 'The Three Dogs' tells the story of a shepherd who trades his three sheep with a stranger for three dogs with magical powers. The dogs are able to help him slay a dragon and win a princess.

'The Two Frogs' is the story of two amphibians who live in different cities in Japan. Each desires to see the world, so each sets out on a journey towards the other's home city. When they meet at the top of a mountain, the two frogs make friends and devise a plan to work out whether their journey is worthwhile - with unintended consequences.

'The Enchanted Knife' is the story of a young man who seeks to marry the princess. Her father sets him an impossible task to perform before he will grant the suit - but with the aid of the cunning princess and a magic knife, the youth is able to win his bride.

The Princess Who Was Hidden Underground is the tale of a king who goes to extreme lengths to safeguard his daughter from potential suitors unworthy of her hand. But one cunning young lad manages to outwit the king by disguising himself as a sheep.

The Gifts of a Magician is the story of a young lad who gets lost in the forest and accidentally saves a magician who is being attacked by wolves. The magician tells the boy he can ask for anything as a reward. The boy asks for the magician's horse...which turns out to be a really remarkable animal. He is also given a set of marvellous musical instruments. With these gifts, the lad sets off to make his fortune.

The Frog is a variant on the Frog Princess. Three brothers are told by their mother to set specific tasks for their sweethearts to complete, to see whether they will make suitable brides. The youngest lad does not know any girls, but a mystery frog proves amazingly adept at all the trials set her by her future mother-in-law.

An entertaining retelling of this classic folk tale from Arabian Nights.

Melisande tells the story of a beautiful princess, "Goops" is a poem that descibes exactly how children should not behave, and Prince Prigio relates the tale of a misunderstood member of a royal family.

This condensed version of the King Arthur narrative was compiled by folklorist Andrew Lang from traditional sources and features all the familiar iconography: the sword in the stone, Excalibur, the Round Table, Camelot, Merlin, knights and chivalry, and the quest for the Holy Grail.

Andrew Lang (1844-1912) is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. His Fairy Books, each named after a color, were 12 volumes of tales collected from many sources and published between 1889 and 1910. The eight stories in this collection are taken from the Blue, Red, and Green Fairy Books: "Rapunzel", "Toads and Diamonds", "Cinderella", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Rumpelstilzkin", "Three Bears", "Jack, Giant-Killer", and "Bronze Ring".

A collection of English fairy tales taking you into a magical world of wit and mystery. Learn about Simpleton and how he succeeded in a tough situation where his older brother failed. Find out how one little piglet outwitted the streetwise old, grey wolf. A crafty cat, Puss, saves the life of his master and befriends the mighty Marquis Carabas. The collection includes some of the most memorable tales, such as 'The Golden Goose', 'The Three Little Pigs', 'Puss in Boots', 'The Three Bears', and 'Tom Thumb'.

Every night, the 12 princesses of the kingdom are locked safely in their rooms. And every morning, their shoes are worn through with holes! Michael, the gardener, longs to marry a princess. Will he win the Duke's challenge to discover where the princesses go at night? With some mystical help, he finds himself following the 12 dancing princesses to a midnight ball in a magical land.

Every version of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears".

The Tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are of Celtic origin. It is believed that King Arthur lived in the sixth century, just after the Romans withdrew from Britain. Minstrels and storytellers travelled through the land in the centuries after this, telling tales of chivalry and heroism, and the legends of King Arthur grew up across Britain and parts of Europe. Andrew Lang's collection of Arthurian legends is one of the most complete and comprehensive ever written and is more accessible than most.

Robert O'Hara Burke (1821-1861) was one of the great Victorian explorers. In 1860 he was appointed to lead the Victorian Exploring Expedition, which aimed to cross the Australian continent from south to north. The expedition left Melbourne on Monday, 20 August 1860 with a total of 19 men, 27 (rum fuelled) camels, and 23 horses. The expedition was dogged by disputes and poor leadership decisions from the start. Even at the first staging post the second in command and the medical officer resigned.