Explores the characters of fantasy & folklore and places them in historical context. This series explores the characters who populate the world of fantasy and folklore. Elves, dragons, fairies, and other figures are placed in historical context for lovers of fantasy. Exploring these persistent characters throughout literature also serves as an excellent introduction for readers who are just discovering this favorite genre.

Playwright, poet, essayist, flamboyant man-about-town, Oscar Wilde pack an astonishing amount of work, genius, and controversy into two short decades, producing masterworks in every literary genre. This selection includes almost all of his short stories, including "The Canterville Ghost," "The Fisherman and his Soul," and "The Remarkable Rocket." Alongside THE MODEL MILLIONAIRE, Harper Perennial will publish the short fiction of Fyodor Dostoevsky,...

Gulliver's strange adventures in some of the most unusual lands ever imagined have made this one of the rare classics with an enduring and wide-ranging appeal to all ages. Gulliver's bad luck at sea not only gets him shipwrecked and castaway, but repeatedly throws him into strange societies of even stranger people. Readers are likely aware of Gulliver's experiences in Lilliput, where he meets a kingdom of six-inch-tall people with a set of prejudices...

In this version of the classic tale, a girl climbs to the top of a giant beanstalk, where she uses her quick wits to outsmart a giant and make her and her mother's fortune.

Beatrix the butter maid saves Gerda the cow and transforms two rude giants into good neighbors.