When a father dies, his youngest son's only inheritance is a cat. However, this is no ordinary cat, but one with extraordinary wisdom and guile. As the youngest son follows the cat's instructions, a delightful rags to riches tale plays out.

"Puss in Boots," "Blue Beard," "Tom Thumb," and other beloved fairy tale classics, as set down by the man who first rescued them from the oral tradition in the 17th century. Contains six color plates and 30 black-and-white illustrations.

A wonderful addition to our very successful series of shaped childrens books, reprinted from antique editions.

'Oh grandmama, what great big teeth you have!' Charles Perrault's versions gave classic status to the humble fairy tale, and it is in his telling that the stories of Little Red Riding-Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and the rest have been passed down from the seventeenth century to the present day. Perrault's tales were enjoyed in the salons of Louis XIV as much as they were loved in the nursery, and it is their wit, humour, and lively detail that capture the imagination of adult and child alike. They transmute into vivid fantasies the hidden fears and conflicts by which children are affected: fears of abandonment, or worse, conflicts with siblings and parents, and the trials of growing up. In addition to the familiar stories, this edition also includes the three verse tales - the troubling account of patient Griselda, the comic Three Silly Wishes, and the notorious Donkey-Skin. This translation by Christopher Betts captures the tone and flavour of Perrault's world, and the delightful spirit of the originals.

ILLUSTRATED EDITION
At the age of 67, French author Charles Perrault lost his employment and decided to focus on his children. In 1697 he published a collection of short stories based on existing folk tales, "Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passe." These stories, presented in this volume, are some of the most well-known children's stories in the western world, including "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge" ("Little Red Riding-Hood"), "Cendrillon" ("Cinderella"), "Le Chat Botte" ("Puss in Boots"), and "La Belle au Bois Dormant" ("The Sleeping Beauty"). Because of this collection of short morality stories, Perrault is often credited with creating the literary genre of the fairy tale.
Other bilingual books available from Sleeping Cat Press: (PDF ebook versions also available)
"The Picture of Dorian Gray
Selected Works of Edgar Allan Poe
The Fables of Jean de La Fontaine
Candide
Shakespeare's Sonnets
New Fairy Tales for Small Children
The Count of Monte Cristo (Unabridged)"

The fairy tales of Perrault--stories that are known and loved around the world--are now available in this scintillating paperback edition, with twenty-six stunning illustrations by Gustave Dore. The superb translation by Christopher Betts exactly captures the tone and flavor of Perrault's world, and the delightful spirit of the originals. In addition to the classic prose tales--including The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, Little Red Riding-Hood, Bluebeard, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, and Hop o' my Thumb--this new translation adds Perrault's tales in verse: a long poem on the subject of Patient Griselda; the notorious Donkey-Skin; and the comic Three Silly Wishes. Bett's introduction deftly illuminates why in Perrault's hands these humble fairy tales have such great imaginative power, showing how they transmute into vivid fantasies the hidden fears and conflicts by which children are affected--fears of abandonment, conflicts with siblings and parents--and resolve so satisfactorily the problems experienced by children while growing up. The volume also includes appendices on related tales and selected variants, a bibliography, chronology, and notes.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more."