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Originally issued in 1934,_The Fairies Return_was the first\ncollection of modernist fairy tales ever published in England, and\nit marked the arrival of a satirical classic that has never been\nsurpassed. Even today, this reimagining of fourteen timeless\ntales–from \“Puss in Boots\” to \“Little Red Riding Hood\”–is still\nfresh and bold, giving readers a world steeped not in once upon a\ntime, but in the here and now.

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Longtime favorites in this playfully subversive collection are\nretold for modern times and mature sensibilities. In \“Jack the\nGiant Killer,\” Jack becomes a trickster who must deliver England\nfrom the hands of three ogres after a failed government inquiry.\n\“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves\” is set in contemporary London and\nthe world of financial margins and mergers. In \“The Little\nMermaid,\” a young Canadian girl with breathtaking swimming skills\nis lured by the temptations of Hollywood. And Cinderella becomes a\nspinster and holy woman, creating a very different happily ever\nafter. These tales expose social anxieties, political corruption,\npredatory economic behavior, and destructive appetites even as they\nexpress hope for a better world. A new introduction from esteemed\nfairy-tale scholar Maria Tatar puts the collection in context.

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From stockbrokers and socialites to shopkeepers and writers, the\ncharacters in_The Fairies Return_face contemporary challenges\nwhile living in the magical world of fairy tales.

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