Hans Christian Andersen – A Birthday Collection
We’ve pulled together our favourite stories from Hans Christian Andersen in honour of his birthday. The Danish author born on 2nd April in 1805, is responsible for some of the greatest fairy tales of our time, although his fame was not immediate:
First, you undergo such a terrible amount of suffering, and then you become famous.
Throughout his career, he would go on to publish 150 fairy tale collections, including the iconic tales of The Snow Queen, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Ugly Duckling and many, many more.
All of the following titles are beautifully illustrated by artists from The Golden Age of Illustration, featuring the likes of Arthur Rakcham, Jessie Willcox Smith, Jennie Harbour, and Kay Nielsen.
The Golden Age of Illustration Series
The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen – The Golden Age of Illustration Series
Andersen’s longest story and among his most loved too, this novella-length tale is told in seven ‘stories’ in which Little Gerda ventures on a quest to find and free her friend Kay. He is under an evil curse and has been kidnapped by the enchanting Snow Queen.
The Snow Queen by Honor C. Appleton
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid – The Golden Age of Illustration Series
An absolute classic fairy tale, The Little Mermaid has been adapted and illustrated the world over. Following the story of a young mermaid and her adventures onto dry land after her true love, this edition holds the original tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, and its not so happy ending.
The Little Mermaid by Edmund Dulac
But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more”
The Princess and The Pea
The Princess and The Pea – The Golden Age of Illustration Series
This sweet tale is about a young woman who is made to sleep on a stack of mattresses, under which lies a pea, to check her royal identity in a test of her sensitivity. Published in the first collection of his fairy tales in 1835 along with ‘The Tinder Box’, ‘Little Claus and Big Claus’, and ‘Little Ida’s Flowers’.
The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, Kay Nielsen, 1924.
Nobody but a princess could be so delicate”
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
The Steadfast Tin Soldier – The Golden Age of Illustration Series
This edition features the story of the Steadfast Tin Soldier and his love for a paper ballerina, it follows him on his adventures through life and the trials and tribulations that he endures. It was the first story by Hans Christian Andersen that wasn’t based on folk or another piece of literature and has been adapted many times over the years.
Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales, Mabel Lucie Attwell, 1914.
Individually Illustrated Collections
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen – Illustrated by Honor Appleton
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen – Illustrated by Honor Appleton
This collection features the magnificent colour and black-and-white artwork of Honor C. Appleton. It contains some of Andersen’s best stories, including such well-known and loved tales as ‘The Little Mermaid, ‘The Steadfast Tin Soldier’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Little Match Girl’ and ‘The Red Shoes’.
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen – with Honor Appleton Illustrations
The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen – Illustrated by Kay Nielsen
The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen – Illustrated by Kay Nielsen
Originally published in 1924, this collection The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen is illustrated with the magnificent Art Nouveau colour illustrations of Kay Nielsen. It was a project that took Nielsen twelve years to complete, and his illustrations perfectly capture the other-worldly spirit of Andersen’s subject matter. It includes such well-known and loved tales as ‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Real Princess’, ‘The Hardy Tin Soldier’ and ‘The Nightingale.’
The Elder Tree Mother illustration by Kay Nielsen
Fairy Tales By Hans Christian Andersen – Illustrated by Harry Clarke
Fairy Tales By Hans Christian Andersen – Illustrated by Harry Clarke
Containing twenty-four of Andersen’s stories, including such well-known and loved tales as ‘The Little Mermaid, ‘The Steadfast Tin Soldier’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Nightingale’ and ‘The Red Shoes’. It is illustrated with the magnificent colour and black and white illustrations of Harry Clarke.
The Tinder-box illustrated by Harry Clarke
It doesn’t matter if you’re born in a duck yard, so long as you are hatched from a swan’s egg!”
Fairy Tales By Hans Christian Andersen – Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
Fairy Tales By Hans Christian Andersen – Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
Originally published in 1932, this collection contains many of Hans Christian’s best-loved tales, and is illustrated by the charming colour plates and black and white drawings of Arthur Rackham. The stories include: ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Steadfast Tin Soldier’, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, ‘Thumbelina’, ‘The Princess and the Pea’, ‘The Little Match Girl’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, and many more.
The Elder Tree Mother illustration by Arthur Rackham
Fairy Tales to Read Online
