The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Other Fairy Tales (Calla Editions)

I really bought it for the illustrations, and I was pleased overall with the reproduction of them. The stories are well-told and it is a very sturdy book in excellent condition.

This book is a rare reproduction of an old fairy tale book illustrated by legendary illustrator, Kay Nielsen. Nielsen was a true original and one of the great golden age, classic illustrators. The book is attractively bound and the paper quality is far above average. The illustrations are all very intricate, colorful and fairly sharply reproduced. Buy a copy before it goes out of print. The only place you will find a better quality book is through the Folio Society of London - but that book would cost triple the cost of this bargain!

as advertised

I wouldn't recommend this book for young children. I love both fairy tales and art nouveau illustration, so I thought this would be a great gift for my niece and nephew. However, since the book is a reprint from the early 20th century, it contains a lot of outdated portrayals of race and gender that I don't think are appropriate for today's children. For example, in the retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," the princesses are "served a delicious supper" by "a company of negro boys" (p. 85). Some of the illustrations contain racial stereotypes. As an adult, I can understand the cultural context that this book came out of and why it portrays things this way, but that will probably be lost on a 7-year-old.

Beautiful book with very lovely illustrations!

This is another beautifully illustrated collection of fairy tales released by Dover Publications from their Calla Editions. I'm so happy that many of these books that were out of print have been rereleased with illustrations by these great artists.

Worst ever. This book was not what was advertised (lovely art deco illustrations) but was instead a Dover children's publication and when I tried to return it to the vendor it was not possible. Thankfully Amazon was able to assist.

**Disclaimer: This is not a review of the Calla edition only the Portland House one I received through this listing. I have no experience or knowledge of the Calla edition.**Lovers of Kay Nielsen be wary of the Portland House edition of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The black and white illustrations are beautiful, but the color reproductions are not in their correct text placing throughout the book. They are stuck together 3-5 at a time in various places in the stories e.g. An illustration "Felicia listens to the hen's story" pairs with the text on page 62, yet is found next to page 104 in Rosanie (a completely different tale). I also found the color reproductions wanting; they were a bit blurry.All in all, if you want your illustrations paired with your text (and who doesn't?) this edition is not for you.

This is a large, beautifully printed book; for the price, this is a great keepsake.

Beautiful book with wonderful illustrations. The print is excellent as is the quality if the paper. The fairy tale translations are delightful. Highly recommended.