This superb collection of nearly 160 Andersen fairy tales includes all the well-known favorites including "The Ugly Duckling," "Thumbelina," "The Little Mermaid," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Red Shoes," as well as lesser-known but equally as memorable and engaging gems - "Little Claus and Big Claus," "The Shadow," "The Story of a Mother," "What the Moon Saw," "Little Ida's Flowers," and "The Elfin Hill," among others. Full-page black and white illustrations by six distinguished artists grace the book, including Arthur Rackham, H.J. Ford, Hans Richter, and Hans Tegner. Reinterpreted over the years, Andersen's best-known tales have been tempered and sweetened to varying degrees. These are his original stories as they were meant to be read, filled with fantasy, folklore, and wonder, and often, steeped in the frailties and the dark side of human nature.