Red Magic : The World’s Best Fairy Tales Collected and Arranged by Romer Wilson

With a Preface and biographies from Jack Zipes, as well as the original illustrations by Kay Nielsen, this collection of fairy tales originally published by the award-winning Romer Wilson – Green Magic (1928), Silver Magic (1929), and Red Magic (1930) – offers a combination of classic fairy tales, alongside lesser known, global and diverse tales. Red Magic contains such classics as “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” from the Arabian Nights, “A Child’s Dream on a Star” by Dickens, and “The Chimera” by Hawthorne.

It also contains previously unpublished tales such as “Princess Silver Silk” and “The Enchanted Deer.” It was Romer Wilson’s intention to combine the familiar with the unknown, and to introduce authors and cultures from a variety of countries.

As a researcher, Wilson uncovered a remarkable amount of stories from other countries that remain unknown today.

This collection gives voice to unique and intriguing tales that inspire children to have a better understanding of how people and their stories are alike despite major differences. Through his Preface and commentary, Jack Zipes shows how all three books are a means to bring people together in the name of peace and justice.

These books will, therefore, be of interest to anyone researching or studying fairy tales, folklore and children’s literature, as well as global or comparative literature and social justice.