Kindle Price: $12.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Maria Tatar
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Beauty and the Beast: Classic Tales About Animal Brides and Grooms from Around the World Kindle Edition

by Maria Tatar (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
See all formats and editions
The “tale as old as time,” in versions from across the centuries and around the world—published to coincide with Disney’s live-action 3D musical film starring Emma Watson, Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Audra McDonald, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, Dan Stevens, and Emma Thompson

Nearly every culture tells the story of Beauty and the Beast in one fashion or another. From Cupid and Psyche to India’s Snake Bride to South Africa’s “Story of Five Heads,” the partnering of beasts and beauties, of humans and animals in all their variety—cats, dogs, frogs, goats, lizards, bears, tortoises, monkeys, cranes, warthogs—has beguiled us for thousands of years, mapping the cultural contradictions that riddle every romantic relationship.

In this fascinating volume, preeminent fairy tale scholar Maria Tatar brings together tales from ancient times to the present and from a wide variety of cultures, highlighting the continuities and the range of themes in a fairy tale that has been used both to keep young women in their place and to encourage them to rebel, and that has entertained adults and children alike. With fresh commentary, she shows us what animals and monsters, both male and female, tell us about ourselves, and about the transformative power of empathy.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,800 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    234 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  5. Publication date
    March 7, 2017
  6. File size
    1054 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

Review

Winner of the Anne Izard Storytellers’ Choice Award

“[This] new book from Penguin . . . provides some historical context [to the Disney film]. . . . Most of the stories about young women and animal grooms follow a predictable pattern. . . . But the Penguin book also includes plenty of stories in which the genders are flipped, pairing young men with animal brides.” —The New Yorker

“Superb . . . Each story is basically an expression of anxiety about marriage and relationships—about the animalistic nature of sex, and the fundamental strangeness of men and women to each other. . . . Tatar points out, too, that every generation of monsters speaks to the anxieties of its time.” —The Atlantic

“The tales in Tatar’s compilation swing from vicious to romantic, from comedy to horror. . . . Tatar’s book alone contains stories from almost two dozen countries.” —NPR.org

“A rich, intriguing volume highly recommended for fairy-tale fans.” —Booklist

“Maria Tatar’s new collection for Penguin Classics . . . ventur[es] deeper into the rich universe of animal bridegroom stories. . . . There is also the parallel tradition of animal bride stories—swan maidens and selkies with a much sharper edge than The Little Mermaid. . . . The source material here is much richer in possibilities than turning Belle into a crusader for women’s literacy.” —Jezebel

“Thought-provoking . . . It’s fun to encounter new stories but also to revisit childhood favorites with adult eyes.” —PopMatters

“Maria Tatar rounded up stories about animal brides and grooms from around the world in this new Penguin Classics collection, and while I am a certified fairy tale nerd, there was plenty in this book that was new to me.” —Constance Grady, Vox

About the Author

Maria Tatar (editor) is the John L. Loeb Professor of Folklore and Mythology and Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University. She is the author of many acclaimed books, including The Heroine with 1,001 Faces, as well as the editor and translator of The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen, The Annotated Brothers Grimm, The Classic Fairy Tales: A Norton Critical Edition, The Grimm Reader, and The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01HCGYXHK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics (March 7, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 7, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1054 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 234 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Maria Tatar

Maria Tatar

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Maria Tatar teaches folklore, children's literature, and German cultural studies at Harvard University. She chairs the Program in Folklore and Mythology. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
43 global ratings
Beauty and the Beast is the French version and my favorite, but did you know there are other various versions of the story?
5 Stars
Beauty and the Beast is the French version and my favorite, but did you know there are other various versions of the story?
5 Fairy Tales and MoreBeauty and the Beast is one of my all-time favorite fairytale. It’s a whimsical story about a book loving girl and a monstrous man. With only a few days left before the major motion picture comes out, I’m in all Beauty and the Beast mode. Heck, I’m even considering the lipstick that the movie is promoting.Ever wonder what the true story is? Did you know Belle had sisters and brothers? Or that the Beast isn’t actually the villain? It’s interesting to compare Jeanne-Marie Leprince Beaumount version to Disney’s. Beauty and the Beast: Classic Tales about Animal Brides and Grooms from Around the World is the story of Beauty and the Beast and other versions edited by Maria Tatar.Beauty and the Beast is the French version and my favorite, but did you know there are other various versions of the story? One has a pig and another has a frog. Sometimes the story has the Heroine as selfish and sometimes she is kind. Sometimes the father sells his daughter for money.The book also has other fairytales, which I enjoyed reading too, like Cinderella. It’s a fascinating book and it’s something you can read to your kids, each story is a few pages long, but they are very interesting and each has a moral to the story. Although, some are not for little kids, since some of the stories contain a few characters getting killed.The book also has a brief overview of the origins of Beauty and the Beast.The thing that I really enjoyed about the book is that each version I read was from a different country (from Italy to Japan) and there was a mini overview before you read each story.If you are preparing for the movie and reading all things of Beauty and the Beast, I highly suggest you check out this book. It will keep you very informed and prepared for the movie.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Jacqueline's Reads
5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty and the Beast is the French version and my favorite, but did you know there are other various versions of the story?
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2017
5 Fairy Tales and More
Beauty and the Beast is one of my all-time favorite fairytale. It’s a whimsical story about a book loving girl and a monstrous man. With only a few days left before the major motion picture comes out, I’m in all Beauty and the Beast mode. Heck, I’m even considering the lipstick that the movie is promoting.

Ever wonder what the true story is? Did you know Belle had sisters and brothers? Or that the Beast isn’t actually the villain? It’s interesting to compare Jeanne-Marie Leprince Beaumount version to Disney’s. Beauty and the Beast: Classic Tales about Animal Brides and Grooms from Around the World is the story of Beauty and the Beast and other versions edited by Maria Tatar.

Beauty and the Beast is the French version and my favorite, but did you know there are other various versions of the story? One has a pig and another has a frog. Sometimes the story has the Heroine as selfish and sometimes she is kind. Sometimes the father sells his daughter for money.

The book also has other fairytales, which I enjoyed reading too, like Cinderella. It’s a fascinating book and it’s something you can read to your kids, each story is a few pages long, but they are very interesting and each has a moral to the story. Although, some are not for little kids, since some of the stories contain a few characters getting killed.

The book also has a brief overview of the origins of Beauty and the Beast.

The thing that I really enjoyed about the book is that each version I read was from a different country (from Italy to Japan) and there was a mini overview before you read each story.

If you are preparing for the movie and reading all things of Beauty and the Beast, I highly suggest you check out this book. It will keep you very informed and prepared for the movie.
Customer image
Jacqueline's Reads
5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty and the Beast is the French version and my favorite, but did you know there are other various versions of the story?
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2017
5 Fairy Tales and More
Beauty and the Beast is one of my all-time favorite fairytale. It’s a whimsical story about a book loving girl and a monstrous man. With only a few days left before the major motion picture comes out, I’m in all Beauty and the Beast mode. Heck, I’m even considering the lipstick that the movie is promoting.

Ever wonder what the true story is? Did you know Belle had sisters and brothers? Or that the Beast isn’t actually the villain? It’s interesting to compare Jeanne-Marie Leprince Beaumount version to Disney’s. Beauty and the Beast: Classic Tales about Animal Brides and Grooms from Around the World is the story of Beauty and the Beast and other versions edited by Maria Tatar.

Beauty and the Beast is the French version and my favorite, but did you know there are other various versions of the story? One has a pig and another has a frog. Sometimes the story has the Heroine as selfish and sometimes she is kind. Sometimes the father sells his daughter for money.

The book also has other fairytales, which I enjoyed reading too, like Cinderella. It’s a fascinating book and it’s something you can read to your kids, each story is a few pages long, but they are very interesting and each has a moral to the story. Although, some are not for little kids, since some of the stories contain a few characters getting killed.

The book also has a brief overview of the origins of Beauty and the Beast.

The thing that I really enjoyed about the book is that each version I read was from a different country (from Italy to Japan) and there was a mini overview before you read each story.

If you are preparing for the movie and reading all things of Beauty and the Beast, I highly suggest you check out this book. It will keep you very informed and prepared for the movie.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Shelee BRC
5.0 out of 5 stars Beauties and Beasts
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2017
I had never read Beauty and the Beast before this, my only knowledge of it coming from the old Disney classic movie and in details regarding the upcoming revival, but we all know it. The romantic tale of a beautiful bookworm falling in love with the beast of a man. This version compared to Disney’s is very different, as is to be expected, but it is just as magical.

I loved reading this anthology of folklore and mythology and seeing how Beauty and the Beast shaped the stories after it. How each culture and country (from Japan to South Africa to Italy) has replicated the story in their own way. Each story magical and filled with lessons for its readers. But it has others stories, too; fairy tales the likes of which we’ve come to adore like Cinderella and Zeus and Europa.

All of these stories have a connection, a common theme, with a love story involving some sort of animal. The editor who compiled all of these tales, Maria Tatar, goes into depth about the mythology of love stories involving animals and the origin of our main story, something which I found very fascinating. Each story, none very long, began with a foreword from Tatar, explaining the story to us. Beauty and the Beast: Classic Tales About Animal Brides and Grooms from Around the World isn’t a story just for adults who wish to relive the beauty of folklore, but it can be shared with their children, too. With the upcoming movie, I think this novel is a great pairing to what lies beneath the surface of the tale, and how love can transcend everything.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Sheila Deeth
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and well-presented collection
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2017
It’s a major motion picture. It’s a fairytale. It’s a legend. And it’s more. Maria Tatar’s Beauty and the Beast collects together stories of animal brides and grooms from around the world and presents them to the reader, nicely organized and classified, with a fascinating touch of gentle analysis.

In a pleasingly readable introduction, readers are asked to ponder why these stories are so popular—animals used to portray human love; that longing for natural freedom fighting with cultural civilization; the tragedy of breaking from the norm; and, yes, the power of sexuality. “[A] curved mirror ... that distorts and takes us into the fun house, is always more compelling—and often more true—than a purely reflective one,” the author muses. And the legends of beauties and beasts are surely curved.

Gods and monsters, soulmates and soul destroyers, all are found in these pages. Lovers charismatic and fearsome, animal brides and grooms from around the world, all are gathered here and told beautifully, taken from different translations and collections, well-ordered, well-presented, and fun to read. Much more intriguing and enthralling than the movie!

Disclosure: I won a copy and I really enjoyed it.
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Savanna
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and entertaining
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
I did my dissertation on the history of Beauty and the Beast from Cupid and Psyche to modern day. The introduction of this was very useful. There's a good amount of information on where the fairytale came from, and then tells different versions of the tale from around the world. If you're interested in Beauty and the Beast, or in Fairy Tales in general, you won't regret buying this
One person found this helpful
 Report
FairyGlen9
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book hand me hooked
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Great stories, you will get to know about different cultures from the stories and notes.
Report
Bookworm
3.0 out of 5 stars A nice collection of stories
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
Many are repetitive as they follow the same motifs, however it did make the book as a whole a little boring, after the 20th story of someone tossing an animal skin into a fire to ensare the object of their desire, you're well past the point of deja vu.

Some stories were quite sad as they followed a fable style whereas others were outright harsh and sometimes shocking in their bluntness and brutality, but it was interesting seeing the cultural differences between similar tales.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report