Terrific, as always. I loved these anthologies when I was a child, and upon reading this four decades later, have learned they hold up nicely. Even back then I remember looking for Jacques' work anywhere I could find it. And I love Manning-Sanders voice; she really makes the stories come alive, as if she's telling them to you. I never have liked the ones that use archaic stylings; to me they seem dusty....

This particular collection is, I believe, brand-new to me. Though some stories are vaguely familiar, they're the kind that occur in many cultures and thus in many anthologies, including the tale of Aladdin. Other things I don't remember at all; in Rich Woman, Poor Woman" the selfish and the kind get the same reward: "What work you do first in the morning, you will do until nightfall." Depending on what you're doing at dawn, this can be prize or curse....

I particularly like this bit, about a king who is fed up with a very finicky daughter and her shenanigans to get out of marrying even the most eligible princes. "... any man who (met her implausible requirement) might come forward and marry his daughter; and he would throw in the kingdom as a wedding gift, for he felt like going into a monastery, so greatly had Cannetella vexed him."" ( )