Forty-Four Turkish Fairy Tales

This volume is a treasure chest of classic Eastern tales drawing on the rich folklore of Turkey. Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales has not been in print for almost 100 years, mainly because the original edition had lavish production standards. On the used market, mint copies of the 1913 original can cost up to four figures. This volume is appropriately titled Fairy Tales because something definitely "fairy" occurs. There are talking animals, flying horses, birds that magically change into beautiful maidens, quests to win the hand of a princess, magical objects, simple, yet brave, peasants, wizards, witches, dragons and dungeons, epic journeys, and loveable fools. The majority of these stories contain encounters with "Dews", or Turkish supernatural beings, better known in the West as "Genies." Sometimes the Turkish Dews are also called "Arabs!" There are many other specifically Turkish elements and references in the stories, for which the glossary at the end of the book is of...