Fantasy de Segur, Sophie: Old French Fairy Tales. v1. 12 June 2025

[GrannyGrump]

This collection features a blend of fantasy, adventure, and morals, often with talking animals and magical elements, exploring common fairy tale themes like the triumph of good over evil, the importance of family, and the consequences of moral choices. Characters often include noble princes, kind-hearted friends, and mischievous animals, creating a vibrant and whimsical world.

These five lovely stories are exquisitely illustrated with color and line-art images in an Art Deco mood.

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Sophie Rostopchine, Countess of Ségur (1799 – 1874), was a French writer of Russian birth and origin. She is best known today for her novel Les Malheurs de Sophie (Sophie’s Misfortunes), intended for children.

Mrs. Chapman Coleman (1813 – 1891) was a 19th-century American author and translator, working with contemporary French and German writings.

Virginia Frances Sterrett (1900 – 1931) was an American artist and illustrator who worked in the Art Nouveau tradition. Old French Fairy Tales was her first commission, swiftly followed by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Tanglewood Tales (1921). In failing health, she was able to complete just one further commission prior to her death — her best-known work, the suite of illustrations for Arabian Nights (1928).

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Readers interested in Ms. Sterrett’s art may enjoy Tanglewood Tales from the MobileRead Library.
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This book (original title Nouveaux contes de fées pour les petits enfants) was first published in 1857; this English translation by Ms. Coleman was first published circa 1869; this edition with Sterrett’s illustrations published in 1920.
This ebook is in the public domain where copyright is “Life+90” or less, and in the USA.
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