In the preparation of this book the author takes pleasure in expressing an appreciation of the criticism and helpful suggestions given by the Editor, Dr. Henry Suzzallo, under whose counsel, cooperation, and incentive the work grew. The author wishes also to make a general acknowledgment for the use of many books which of necessity would be consulted in organizing and standardizing any unit of literature. Special acknowledgment should be made for the use of _Grimm's Household Tales_, edited by Margaret Hunt, containing valuable notes and an introduction by Andrew Lang of _English Fairy Tales_, _More English Fairy Tales_, _Indian Fairy Tales_, and _Reynard the Fox_, and their scholarly introductions and notes, by Joseph Jacobs; of _Norse Tales_ and its full introduction, by Sir George W. Dasent; of _Tales of the Punjab_ and its Appendix, by Mrs. F.A. Steel; of the _Uncle Remus Books_, by J.C. Harris; of _Fairy Tales_, by Hans C. Andersen; of _Fairy Mythology_ and _Tales and Popular Fictions_, by Thomas Keightley; of _Principles of Literary Criticism_, by Professor C.T. Winchester, for its standards of literature; of _English Composition_, by Professor Barrett Wendell, for its standards of composition; of Professor John Dewey's classification of the child's instincts; and of the _Kindergarten Review_, containing many articles of current practice illustrating standards emphasized here. Recognition is gratefully given for the use of various collections of fairy tales and for the use of any particular fairy tale that has been presented in outline, descriptive narrative, criticism, or dramatization. Among collections special mention should be made of _The Fairy Library_, by Kate D. Wiggin and Nora A. Smith; the _Fairy Books_, by Clifton Johnson; and the _Fairy Books_, by Andrew Lang. Among tales, particular mention should be made for the use, in adaptation, made of _Oeyvind and Marit_, given in Whittier's _Child Life in Prose_; of _The Foolish Timid Rabbit_, given in _The Jataka Tales_, by Ellen C. Babbit; of _The Sheep and the Pig_, in Miss Bailey's _For the Children's Hour_; of _Drakesbill_, in _The Fairy Ring_, by Wiggin and Smith; of _The Magpie's Nest_, in _English Fairy Tales_, by Joseph Jacobs; of _How the Evergreen Trees Lose their Leaves_, in _The Book of Nature Myths_, by Miss Holbrook; of _The Good-Natured Bear_, described by Thackeray in "On Some Illustrated Christmas Books"; and of _The Hop-About-Man_, by Agnes Herbertson, given in _The Story-Teller's Book_, by Alice O'Grady (Moulton) and Frances Throop. The author wishes also to express thanks to the many teachers and children whose work has in any way contributed to _A Study of Fairy Tales_. LAURA F. KREADY LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA August, 1916 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION BY HENRY SUZZALLO xv I. THE WORTH OF FAIRY TALES 1 II. PRINCIPLES OF SELECTION FOR FAIRY TALES 13