Beauty and the Beast and Other Classic Stories

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.

“My heart is good, but still I am a monster.”

A poor merchant, lost deep in the woods during a storm, seeks refuge in a forbidding castle. Thinking it is deserted, he takes advantage of the food and shelter he finds there. But when he plucks a rose from the garden as a gift for his daughter, he is attacked by a hideous beast who demands the merchant’s daughter, Beauty, in repayment for his hospitality. Banished to the castle and fearful for her life, Beauty surrenders herself to the mercy of the Beast…

This edition includes Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s version of the classic story, and brings together many other best-loved fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, many of which have been the subject of film adaptations.

Other classic stories included in this edition:

Beauty and the Beast
The Ugly Duckling
The Emperor’s New Suit
The Little Mermaid
Little Tiny, or Thumbelina
The Princess and the Pea
The Red Shoes
Rapunzel
Hansel and Gretel
Little Red-Cap, or Little Red Riding Hood
The Elves and the Shoemaker
Snow-White and Rose-Red
Blue Beard
Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper
The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
Puss in Boots
Little Tom Thumb

About the author

Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont was born in Rouen in 1711. She was a French author and publisher, and often included fairy tales as moral and educational tools in her writing. Her adaptation of Beauty and the Beast has become the best-known version of the tale. She died in 1780.