John Austen

“Tom Thumb.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 53-63.

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:23:37 +0000

“Tom Thumb.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 53-63. Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/17/2022 - 17:23

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there was a poor man and his wife, wood makers by trade, who had seven young boys (the oldest being ten, and the younger being seven years of age). This youngest boy was very small, only being the size of a thumb when he was born (giving him the name Tom Thumb) but was very intelligent. One day during a famine, the man urges his wife that they must get rid of their children in order to survive. Although she protests, she agrees. Tom Thumb overhears this conversation, and the next morning gets up early and collects small white pebbles to fill his pockets. The man and his wife bring the children deep into the forest and abandon them. His siblings cry and fret, but Tom Thumb knows the way back because he has laid a trail of pebbles. The man and his wife, as soon as they get home, receive ten crowns from the lord of the manor which they were owed and were able to buy a large amount of meat to feast on. The woman begs her husband to repent for what they have done and laments for her lost children when they arrive at the door. Sometime later, the money runs out, and once again the man convinces his wife to abandon their children. Tom Thumb overhears this conversation, and the next morning goes out to again search for pebbles but finds that the door is locked. He thinks to use his breakfast instead to leave a trail of breadcrumbs. This does not work, however, as when the children try to find their way back, Tom Thumb realizes that the breadcrumbs have been all eaten by birds. So the children become lost and trek through the forest until they come to a house. A woman greets them, and the children tell her their plight. She weeps, because they are so pitiful and because her husband is an ogre who eats children. Because the children beg, the woman lets them in, thinking she can hide them for one night under the bed. When the ogre comes home he smells fresh meat, and although his wife tries to conceal them, the ogre finds them and decides to eat them the next day while entertaining his friends. Happy with this, he becomes drunk and goes to bed. The ogre has seven daughters, asleep in a bed, each with a golden crown upon her head. The woman puts the seven boys, each with a bonnet on their head, in a bed in the same room. Tom Thumb, fearing that the ogre would kill them as they slept, switched the crowns and bonnets. Sure enough, the drunk ogre comes in, feels for the bonnets, and kills all seven of his daughters. When he leaves again, the children make a run for it. The next day, the wife finds her seven daughters slaughtered, and the ogre swears to get the children, putting on his ‘boots of seven-leagues (which cover seven leagues with each stride), and running off. Tom Thumb hides his siblings under a rock, which the ogre sits on to take a rest and fall asleep on. The children run back to their parent’s house, while Tom Thumb stays and takes the boots, which, because they are fairies, fit themselves to his feet, and runs back to the ogre’s wife. He tells her that her husband has been captured by robbers and that they demand all of his riches in order to release him, so she gives him all that they have. Tom Thumb brings this money back to his parent’s house.

Fairy Tale Title

Thumbling

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Common Tale Type

The Children and the Ogre/Brothers and the Ogre/Boy Steals the Ogre's Treasure

Tale Classification

ATU 327/ATU 327B/ATU 328

Page Range of Tale

pp. 9-12

Full Citation of Tale

“Tom Thumb.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 53-63.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

The story gives an alternate ending, which the author seems skeptical of, that Tom Thumb never robbed the ogre, and instead used the seven-league boots to bring news of a far-away army to the King, who in return gave him a large sum of money. He then becomes a famous messenger, amassing wealth, and buys places for his father and brothers at court.

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

Tales of Past Times Written for Children

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Publisher

E.P Dutton and Co.

Date Published

1923

Decade Published

1920-1929

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“The Fairy.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 9-12.

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 22:51:34 +0000

“The Fairy.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 9-12. Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/17/2022 - 15:51

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there was a very disagreeable widow with two daughters. The eldest was much like her, but the youngest was more like her father and was very beautiful and sweet of temper, and her mother disliked her very much. She made her work constantly and had to twice a day draw water a mile and a half from the house, and bring home a pitcher full. One day, as she was doing this chore, a poor woman came to her and begged her for a drink. The girl agreed, and the woman revealed herself as a fairy, and gave her a gift: for every word she spoke, out of her mouth would come out either a flower or a jewel. When the girl got home and her mother scolded her for being so long, she apologized, and two roses, two pearls, and two diamonds came out of her mouth. She explains what happened, and the mother tells her older daughter to go to the fountain and do the same. The fairy appears to the sister there, this time as a princess, to see how far the girl’s rudeness would go. The girl is very unpleasant, and the fairy gives her this gift: for every word she speaks, out of her mouth will come a snake or a toad. The mother is enraged and goes to punish the younger daughter, who flees into the forest, where she runs into the King’s son. [The book is missing the last page, but from other versions, we can assume it ends with him marrying her, and possibly the death of her stepsister].

Fairy Tale Title

The Fairy

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Common Tale Type

The Kind and the Unkind Girls

Tale Classification

ATU 480

Page Range of Tale

pp. 9-12

Full Citation of Tale

“The Fairy.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 9-12.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

Tales of Past Times Written for Children

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Publisher

E.P Dutton and Co.

Date Published

1923

Decade Published

1920-1929

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“Puss in Boots.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 31-36.

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 03:04:48 +0000

“Puss in Boots.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 31-36. Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/09/2022 - 20:04

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

There was once a poor miller, who died and had only his mill, his ass, and his cat to leave to his three sons. The youngest of the boys, inheriting the cat, lamented aloud his misfortune, and how he must eat the cat and make a muff with its skin (neither, he concluded, would save him from starvation). The cat devises a plan and asks his new master for a bag and a pair of boots. Puss catches a young rabbit in the woods using the bag, and brings it to the King, giving it to him as a gift from the Marquis of Carabas. He continues to bring him game like this for several months, which pleases the King. One day, Puss knew that the King would be out with his daughter (the most beautiful princess in the world) along the river, and asked his master to follow his advice and bathe in the water and leave the rest to him. When the king passes by, Puss cries out that the marquis of Carabas is going to be drowned, and, recognizing him as the cat who brings him such good game, commands his guards to help. Puss tells them that rogues had stolen the marquis’ clothes while he washed, and the king gives him a wonderful new suit to wear. The princess sees him and takes a liking to him. The cat sets out ahead of the rest, and tells some countrymen that if they do not tell the King that the meadow they are mowing belongs to the marquis of Carabas, they will be “chopped as small as herbs for the pot”. He similarly threatens some reapers, demanding that they tell the King that all of the corn belongs to the marquis. The King is delighted with the young man and his apparent prowess. Puss comes to a vast castle belonging to a rich ogre and devises a plan. He asks to meet with the owner of the palace and says that he had heard he had the ability to change his form into all sorts of large creatures. The ogre replies that yes, he can do this, and he will change into a lion to further convince him. After changing back, Puss says he also heard the ogre could change into a small creature such as a mouse, but thought it was impossible. The ogre sets out to prove him wrong, and when he becomes a rodent, the cat eats him up. The King now arrives at the castle and is so stunned he wishes to enter. Upon hearing the car say that the place belongs to the marquis of Carabas, the King gives the young man his daughter’s hand in marriage, and Puss becomes a great lord.

Fairy Tale Title

Puss in Boots

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Common Tale Type

Puss in Boots

Tale Classification

ATU 545B

Page Range of Tale

pp. 31-36

Full Citation of Tale

“Puss in Boots.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 31-36.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

Tales of Past Times Written for Children

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Publisher

E.P Dutton and Co.

Date Published

1923

Decade Published

1920-1929

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“Sleeping Beauty.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 19-30.

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 21:40:40 +0000

“Sleeping Beauty.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 19-30. Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/08/2022 - 14:40

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, a King and Queen finally bear a daughter after desperately trying to have a child for years. They invite all the fairies they can find within their kingdom to be godmothers, and they all (7) attend the girl’s christening and later celebrations. One, very old, fairy was forgotten, and shows up during the feast, feeling slighted. Another of the fairies fears she will cast a curse upon the child, so she hides behind a curtain to see what can be done. Each fairy takes turns bestowing gifts of beauty and grace upon the princess until the old fairy declares that the child’s hand will be pierced by a spindle and that she will die of the wound. The fairy who was hiding now appears to counteract this, making it so that the girl will only sleep for one hundred years, at the end of which, a king’s son will wake her. The King orders all spindles destroyed, however, when she is 15 or 16, the princess meets an old woman who had never heard this, pricks her hand on her spindle, and falls into a deep sleep. The fairy who counteracted the curse hears the news and arrives in a dragon-drawn chariot, touching everyone in the castle, except for the king and queen, with her magic wand to put them in a deep sleep as well. As a hundred years pass, people begin to forget the castle, in part because a thick hedge grows around it. One day, a prince was hunting nearby and asked the countrymen the story of the place, and one tells him how a beautiful princess has been asleep for one hundred years and waits for a king’s son to wake her. He pushes through the thicket into the castle, where he finds everyone, including the princess, asleep. He finds her to be very beautiful, and when she wakes up, they immediately fall in love and are married after supper (now that everyone else is awake, too). The next day, the prince returns to his father and tells him that he got lost, and so for two years, he lies to his parents even though he now has two children by the princess. His mother, the Queen, suspects that he has a lover, but the prince fears telling her the truth. This is because she is an Ogress, whom his father married for her riches, and she has an inclination to eat children. It is only when his father dies and he becomes lord and master that he openly declares his marriage. One summer, the king goes off to war and leaves the kingdom and the care of his wife and children to his mother, who brings them to a country house. She says to the clerk of the kitchen that she would like to eat the older child, named Morning, for dinner. The man is unable to kill the child and instead hides her, instead serving the Ogress a lamb. Eight days afterward, the Ogress demands the younger child, named Day. The clerk hides the little boy just like his sister. One evening, the Ogress says she would like to eat the young Queen. The clerk does not know how to deceive her, and approaches the Queen with a dagger, explaining what her mother-in-law requested. The young Queen encouraged him to do it so that she might again see her children, whom she thought must have died. The clerk explains that they are still alive and well-hid and that she will indeed see them again. Once again he deceives the Ogress. One evening, however, she overhears the children and their mother, and, figuring out she has been tricked, orders a large tub to be filled with toads, vipers, snakes, and other serpents, for the Queen, her children, the clerk, his wife, and his maid, to be thrown into. Just before their execution, the King returns home, and his Ogress mother throws herself headfirst into the tub.

Fairy Tale Title

Sleeping Beauty

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Common Tale Type

Sleeping Beauty

Tale Classification

ATU 410

Page Range of Tale

pp. 19-30

Full Citation of Tale

“Sleeping Beauty.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 19-30.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

The ‘gifts’ given to the princess by the fairies are these: She is the most beautiful person in the world, she has the wit of an angel, she has a wonderful grace in all that she does, she dances perfectly well, she sings like a nightingale, she can play all kinds of music perfectly.

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

Tales of Past Times Written for Children

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Publisher

E.P Dutton and Co.

Date Published

1923

Decade Published

1920-1929

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“Cinderella; Or the Little Glass Slipper.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 37-44.

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 00:38:54 +0000

“Cinderella; Or the Little Glass Slipper.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 37-44. Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/01/2022 - 18:38

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

A gentleman takes a second wife, a haughty woman with two equally haughty daughters from a previous marriage. He has his own daughter from his first wife, who is equally as good and beautiful as her mother. This daughter is called “Cinderella,” and is made to do menial tasks around the house by her stepmother and stepsisters because they could not bear her good qualities. When the girls are invited to a ball put on by the king’s son, Cinderella is made to tailor their outfits and does so well despite being jeered at by them. They spend all their time in front of the mirror, and do not eat, so to look more slender. When they leave, she bursts out into tears, and her godmother (a fairy) tells her that she will make it so she can also attend. She instructs her to fetch a “pompion” from the garden, which she turns into a fine coach, six live mice from a trap, which she turns into beautiful horses, a rat, which she turns into a coachman, and six lizards, which she turns into footmen. The fairy godmother then also transforms Cinderella’s rags into a beautiful gown and gives her the prettiest glass slippers in the world. She sends her on her way, but not before warning her to leave the ball before the clock strikes twelve. Cinderella is marveled at by all for her beauty, and the prince takes a liking to her, but she leaves at 11:45. When her stepsisters return home, they tell of a beautiful princess. The next night, Cinderella is even more finely dressed than before, and spends the whole ball with the prince, who is so sweet with his words to her that she forgets to leave before midnight. When she sees the time, she rushes away, leaving behind one of her glass slippers. As before, the two sisters returned from the ball and told of the princess, and that she left in a hurry. The next day, the prince ventures around with the glass slipper to find its owner, and after the two stepsisters fail to fit it, Cinderella fits it perfectly, and presents its twin. The stepsisters throw themselves at her feet and beg for forgiveness. Cinderella is as good as she is beautiful, so she gives them a pardon, as well as lodging at her castle and the hands of two lords after she marries the prince.

Fairy Tale Title

Cinderella; Or the Little Glass Slipper

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Common Tale Type

Cinderella

Tale Classification

ATU 510A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 37-44

Full Citation of Tale

“Cinderella; Or the Little Glass Slipper.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 37-44.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

The opening places an emphasis on the ways in which both Cinderella and her stepsisters are exactly like their mothers. The ending stresses her virtue in not only forgiving her stepsisters but improving the conditions of their lives, unlike in other versions of the tale, where they are punished for their behavior.

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

Tales of Past Times Written for Children

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Publisher

E.P Dutton and Co.

Date Published

1923

Decade Published

1920-1929

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“Little Red Riding-Hood.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 6-8.

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 20:17:47 +0000

“Little Red Riding-Hood.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 6-8. Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/01/2022 - 14:17

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

There was once a young girl who was doted on by her mother and grandmother, who had made for her a red hood, which is how she gets her nickname ‘Little Red Riding-Hood’. Hearing that Little Red's grandmother has been ill, her mother makes some custard and instructs the girl to bring it to the old woman, who lives in a different village. In the woods, she meets Gaffer Wolf, who decides not to eat her right away because there are lumberjacks nearby, and inquires about her journey. He tells Little Red that he will race her to the house. He makes it there first, devours the girl’s grandmother, and then waits in bed wearing her clothes. When Little Red comes through the door, the wolf instructs her to get into bed and then eats her when she does.

Fairy Tale Title

Little Red Riding-Hood

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Common Tale Type

Little Red Riding Hood

Tale Classification

ATU 333

Page Range of Tale

pp. 6-8

Full Citation of Tale

“Little Red Riding-Hood.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 6-8.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

This tale ends before the rescue of little red riding hood and her grandmother by the lumberjack, like we see in other versions, despite the way that the loggers are mentioned early on as the reason why the girl is not immediately devoured by the wolf during their first encounter.

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

Tales of Past Times Written for Children

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Publisher

E.P Dutton and Co.

Date Published

1923

Decade Published

1920-1929

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

Traditional

White