In addition to such familiar favorites as "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Rapunzel," "The Ratcatcher" ("The Pied Piper"), and "Snowdrop" ("Snow White"), The Red Fairy Book contains a wonderful collection of lesser-known tales from French, German, Danish, Russian, and Romanian sources. A tale from Norse mythology recounts the old story of Sigurd and Brynhild; tales by the great Madame d'Aulnoy include "Graciosa and Percinet" and "Princess Rosette"; lesser-known tales from Grimm's collection include "The Three Dwarfs," "Mother Holle," and "The Golden Goose."

All in all, this collection contains thirty-seven stories, all narrated in the clear, lively prose for which Lang was famous. Not only are Lang's generally conceded to be the best English versions of standard stories, his collections are the richest and widest in range. His position as one of England's foremost folklorists as well as his first-rate literary abilities makes his collections unmatchable in the English language.