The twenty-one fairy tales in this collection were written between 1819 and 1899 and published in popular journals whose intended audiences were children or their parents. As the introduction to this book points out, they were written to entertain but also to instruct both children and their parents in the principles of approved social conduct. They are therefore important as indicators to prescribed family values and the several changes in these which occurred over the century. Few, if any, of the stories have been reprinted since their original publication in generally obscure sources. Annotations by the editor document contemporary references and places, people, and concepts mentioned. The book comes with a full index.