WORDSWORTH CLASSICS : THE COMPLETE FAIRY TALES HC – HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Odense, the son of a shoemaker. His early life was wretched, but he was adopted by a patron and became a short-story writer, novelist and playwright, though he remains best-known for his magical fairy tales which were published between 1835 and 1872. For 150 years his stories have been delighting both adults and children. Packed with a light-hearted whimsy combined with a mature wisdom they are as entrancing as ever. Here are all of Andersen s 154 tales, and among the favourites are The Red Shoes, The Mermaid, The Real Princess, The Emperor s New Clothes, The Tinder Box and of course The Ugly Duckling.