The Sleeping Beauty

by Arthur Rackham

According to the spell cast by the old fairy, the beautiful princess will sleep for one hundred years until a prince awakens her with a kiss.

Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Childrens, Romance, Picture Books

110 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) was a British illustrator and translator of books in the English and Spanish languages.

He was born in London as one of 12 children. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art.

In 1892, he quit his job and started working for The Westminster Budget as a reporter and illustrator. His first book illustrations were published in 1893 in To the Other Side by Thomas Rhodes, but his first serious commission was in 1894 for The Dolly Dialogues, the collected sketches of Anthony Hope, who later went on to write The Prisoner of Zenda. Book illustrating then became Rackham's career for the rest of his life.

In 1903, he married Edyth Starkie, with whom he had one daughter, Barbara, in 1908. Rackham won a gold medal at the Milan International Exhibition in 1906 and another one at the Barcelona International Exposition in 1912. His works were included in numerous exhibitions, including one at the Louvre in Paris in 1914. Arthur Rackham died 1939 of cancer in his home in Limpsfield, Surrey.

-from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I do prefer Charles Perrault's version, I liked the illustrations and this adaptation is definitely more appropriate for today's children.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

And so on to the next Everyman Library children's classic this time the famous story of Sleeping Beauty.

There are two things that strike me about this book - the first is the subtle and understated artwork which is adorned throughout the book - mainly silhouettes some few a few coloured highlights they all convey the magic and fantasy that is the story of sleeping beauty.

the other thing - and I think I find this repeatedly (but it does not stop me from being amazing and fascinated by it) is that so many stories I think I know so well has aspects that I just do not remember or realised.

This book is a perfect example of this misplaced memory of the story - something that surprised and entertained me and I am sure I will find many more examples of as well as I continue reading through this series.

[Lesincele · Rating 5 out of 5]

La historia es preciosa pero las ilustraciones son lo mejor con diferencia. Toda una obra de arte.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good version

I have never read the original, but I know bits and pieces from various versions. This was a quick version of a familiar tale. I wish the Kindle Edition included the photos.

[Nieves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libros del Zorro Rojo nos trae la versión de Arhtur Rickham de La Bella Durmiente, bastante similar al que estamos acostumbrados: solo difiere en algunos puntos de cómo se produjo el maleficio y cómo consigue el príncipe llegar a la princesa.
En esta versión, además, la princesa se llama Rosa Silvestre, no Aurora, y sus hadas madrinas son 13, contando a la malvada que profetiza que morirá (en la versión más conocida es Maléfica, pero aquí solo tiene nombre Rosa Silvestre).
También he disfrutado mucho de este cuento clásico, porque además viene acompañado con unas deliciosas ilustraciones que nos introducen más en la historia.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short read but a bit different than the animated version. It was a good retelling of the original story and very interesting to note the changes such as the number of fairies listed as well as the 100 year old curse. It moves quickly but it was nice for an afternoon read. I read this on my kindle app for android.

[Benjamin Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally downloaded this book to look at the Arthur Rackham illustrations, but I got drawn into Evans's text and the pictures became secondary to the words. A really charming retelling of the old fairy tale, with lots of little details and lists—marvelous lists!—to beef up the story.

I believe Evans only wrote 2 other books; I am curious if they are just as fun.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute read. Good for the little princess in your life. This was a free download and I hoped it might be the original. I should have known the original is a Grimm tale. This one is very sweet. The descriptions gets quite wordy. It could have been condensed even more. I liked it though.

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a bit surprised that the illustrations in this book are black and white drawings, because I'd expected to see the full colour illustrations by Rackham like those in the "Snowdrop and Other Tales" edition. Nevertheless, it was a lovely rendition of the Grimms' tale.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun and enjoyable fairy tale, but it did lack a bit of panache that other, more famous fairy tales have. The author tended to focus on minute details, and glance over more relevant ones.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY. C.S. EVANS

This book is a fairy tale. It is a classic, that was retold in a more kid friendly way.

This book is not apart of a series, but I am sure that there are other books similar to this.

I could compare this book to a book I read that had several fairy tales and short stories. The Sleeping Beauty story was actually apart of that book. That book had other princess stories in it like Cinderella and Snow White.

This book is geared to the ages of 11-14. There was some violence and gory parts, but it was still for the most part kid friendly.

This book is kind of similar to the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty. It has the same type of plot. There are many fairies that give gifts to the young princess. All of them are wonderful, except for the last gift. The mean fairy gave the gift to the princess that on her fifteenth birthday she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and then immediately fall a sleep for one hundred years. The spell would be broken if the special prince came and kissed the princess on the lips. If she got kissed then she would wake up and the prince and her would fall in love. Then her and the prince would have a happily ever after. Years passed and the spell took over the princess. One hundred years later the special prince came along and the spell was broken. They got married and lived happily ever after.

The main characters are the princess, the prince, the queen, the king, and the evil fairy.

All of them end up having a great life except for the evil fairy. She did not have many other pleasant times after that.

My favorite characters are the princess and the prince. The princess I’d beautiful inside and out and has many great characteristics. She can sing and dance like no other. The prince is very brave and sweet.

The characters are not very realistic. The princess has everything good in her and is absolutely perfect, and there is lots of magic, so it makes the characters unrealistic.

The characters are very likable. They are very fun loving and they all have great characteristics.

I can’t relate to any of the characters. It is kind of hard to, because all of them are perfect.

I can definitely learn from all of the characters. They are all very optimistic and they have many character traits that would be good to learn.


This book takes place a long time ago in a village with a large castle.

I believe that there are three themes to this book. One of them is to always stay optimistic. The second one is to always be brave. The third one is to be grateful for what you have and never doubt yourself.

I loved this book. I think it taught many lessons and it was just a fun book to read. If there were other books in this series I would definitely read them! I loved this book, and I think you will too!

[Jose Hernández · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libros del Zorro Rojo logra traer por primera vez al español, la mítica versión de los cuentos de encantamiento de la Bella Durmiente y Cenicienta, resultado de la colaboración entre Charles Seddon Evans (1883-1944), autor de esta versión inglesa de los cuentos, y Arthur Rackham (1867-1939), ilustrador de cuentos clásicos. Esta edición incluye un prólogo de Antonio Rodríguez Almodóvar, escritor y reconocido investigador de cuentos populares y tradición oral, quien nos adentra en la historia y simbolismo de los cuentos protagonistas. El prólogo aporta un grado de exquisitez superior a esta edición hermosísima y bien lograda, tanto por las magníficas ilustraciones como por la narrativa.

Para esta versión de La Bella Durmiente, C.S. Evans toma de referencia el cuento de los hermanos Grimm, tratando exclusivamente la parte que abarca hasta el despertar de la princesa, también llamada Briar-Rose o Rosa Silvestre en su traducción al español. Esta versión añade nuevos apartes que amplían el cuento, como la descripción del banquete real, o las referencias al mago Merlín y a Alicia de Lewis Carroll. La preocupación de Evans por los detalles realza la narración que, manteniendo un estilo sencillo, logra cautivar de principio a fin.

C.S. Evans también imprime de ironía y humor británico su versión. En particular, me gustó la crítica a la monarquía, cuando el Rey expide un decreto que afecta a todo el pueblo para salvaguardar sus intereses personales. «(…) hay que admitir que quizá se hubiera podido expresar en menos palabras», relata en una clara critica a una legislación que peca en su lenguaje hacia el pueblo. ¡La mayoría del pueblo ni sabía leer! Tuvieron que entrar en gastos para pagar a terceros por su lectura y enseñanza. Una situación que no es ajena al contexto de nuestros días, donde los políticos legislan para favorecer intereses particulares afectando al colectivo, y se valen de terminología especializada y redacciones complejas para limitar la comprensión de la mayoría.

Las ilustraciones de Arthur Rackham nos acompañarán capítulo a capítulo engalanando la lectura y sumergiéndonos dentro de la historia. Resulta clara la importancia que Libros del Zorro Rojo otorga a Arthur Rackham quien figura de forma exclusiva en la cubierta, en el lomo y en una biografía al final del libro. No tendríamos una de las más maravillosas versiones de cuentos de encantamiento sin la colaboración entre C.S. Evans y Rackham, sin la creación literaria en conjunto con el poder gráfico de la ilustración. En ese sentido, relegar a Evans a la portada interior, es para mí, el único y más terrible pecado que mancilla una edición tan hermosa.

[Lenno Vranken · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Shall spindle prick? - then spindle burn,
No thread weave and no wheel turn;
If there's no spindle and there's no wheel,
Then no finger the spindle can feel."
- C.S. Evans

Review in Nederlands + Engels!

(NL)
Arthur Rackham staat samen met Brian Froud bovenaan mijn lijst van favoriete kunstenaars.
Rackham heeft mij met zijn illustraties voor de legenden van Koning Arthur, Ierse folklore en traditionele sprookjes keer op keer weten te betoveren. Wat was ik dus blij toen ik dit prachtige exemplaar van Sleeping Beauty vond tijdens een fantasy fair!
Het boek komt rechtstreeks uit de jaren 1920 en staat vol met prachtige illustraties van Rakcham's hand. Het alom bekende verhaal van Doornroosje wordt in dit boek mooi en lijvig verteld, met bloemige proza en gedichten. Ergens vond ik het wel jammer dat de auteur ervoor koos om zijn sprookje te baseren op de kortere versie van de Gebroeders Grimm. De versie van Perrault is immers veel uitgebreider, met een spannende epiloog waarin Doornroosje en haar kinderen bijna worden opgegeten door de stiefmoeder van de prins.
Al bij al weer een prachtig boek, dat ik met veel liefde toevoeg aan mijn sprookjescollectie.

(ENG)
Arthur Rackham tops my list of favourite artists along with Brian Froud.
Rackham has enchanted me time and again with his illustrations for King Arthur legends, Irish folklore and traditional fairy tales. So how delighted I was when I found this beautiful copy of Sleeping Beauty at a fantasy fair!
The book comes straight from the 1920s and is full of beautiful illustrations by Rakcham's hand. The widely known story of Sleeping Beauty is told beautifully and leisurely in this book, with flowery prose and poems. Somehow, I did regret that the author chose to base his fairy tale on the shorter version by the Brothers Grimm. After all, Perrault's version is much more elaborate, with a thrilling epilogue in which Sleeping Beauty and her children are almost eaten by the prince's stepmother.
All in all, another wonderful book, which I will lovingly add to my fairy tale collection.

[Kelli Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read

Sleeping beauty was a good short refreshing read. I can see myself reading it to my children one day for sure. I’m not sure what lessons there are in it other than don’t overlook one another and never underestimate a faerie clearly. She will find a way. Also the 13th fairies punishment seemed lacking. Briar Rose went to sleep for a 100 years, but so did all those she loved and all those that were in her kingdom. It seemed to help her in fact. She found her true love and she awaken with 100 years of advancement in the world. Enjoyed it all the same.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A traditional style retelling of the tale, with a few literary fillips -- when the wizard is looking for a cure for the curse, you'll see a few allusions.

Arthur Rackham's elegant silhouette illustrations, as well.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite character was sleeping beauty because she was the most fun character to read about. Something that surprised me was that they have lots of parties. I would not change the ending because it was a sad story but it was a happy ending.

[Fiebre Lectora · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com.es/...

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one isn't the exact book that I have but it's close.

[Madame Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent retelling by C.S Evans. The silhouette illustrations by Arther Rackem were nice.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 ⭐️

[Catherine Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful cloth bound edition illustrated by Arthur Rackham. A visual treat at any age.

[Courtney Kleefeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have the C S Evans retelling of Cinderella with the Arthur Rackham illustrations and did not know there was a retelling for Sleeping Beauty.

It was cute, with some added details to the story, though the story remains the same. Really mostly worth looking at for the illustrations.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jaimie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My copy of Arthur Rackham’s illustrated Sleeping Beauty (retold by C.S. Evans) is not a very fancy edition, being one of the cheap Dover reproductions, but since the artistic style that Rackham is employing are his signature silhouettes, so the simple style of the book does not hinder the illustrative content. Rackham’s silhouette style is put to the test to showcase this story, having to illustrate the intricate details of the spinning wheels (and the fires that destroy them), the tangle of briar roses that surround Sleeping Beauty’s castle, and the myriad of surrounding story details. With his usual aplomb, Rackham brings his characters to life throughout the story, as his simple linework expresses the anger of the slighted fairy, the grace of Sleeping Beauty, and the daring action of the prince who eventually rescues her. But where this story stands out for me, are in his more extensive scenes which depict the stage upon which his characters play. The bathing scene where the Queen meets the prophetic frog who promises her a child depicts her bathing chamber as a lush, vine encrusted grotto, which becomes reminiscent of antique Greek artwork and sculpture when paired with her nude outline. I was also impressed with the active feel of the scene where the pile of spinning wheels are set afire in the capital following the King’s decree. Rackham grounds the image with the castle and town in the background, with the flames overlapping the structures in careful white cut out sections, which I am sure were tricky to plan and execute. The final action scene of the Prince cutting through the massive briar patch was the standout moment, though, as Rackham must carefully depict the intricacies of the tangled rose branches without overwhelming his image with either dark or light spaces. He maybe went a little lighter than I would like, but the addition of the skeletal remains of the fallen princes who came before heightens the intensity of the image and clearly showcases the danger for our winning prince. I still very much want a copy of this book which matches my other Rackham fairytale publications, but for now at least I have the lovely silhouette illustrations - which are what really counts with books like these!

[Laura Maquilón · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al igual que los mesteres de juglaría, la forma en que está narrado invita a ser leído en voz alta, a entonar y con ello asombrar a los pequeños oyentes que anden atentos. No hay que buscar una prosa magnífica ni una historia absorbente. No hay resúmenes, si hay que nombrar todo lo que había en las mesas del gran salón, se nombra, con la clara intención de maravillar a los niños con la gran cantidad de cosas que había para comer (y más a principios de siglo XX, imaginaos el percal…).
De hecho, el prólogo que acompaña al relato habla de otras versiones anteriores, de la búsqueda del original por así decirlo, y de los significados que entraña la historia. Hay que tener en cuenta que esta clase de historias solían ir acompañadas de una moraleja y también, en este caso, de una exaltación a la corona y la realeza (la adaptación en este caso es de un inglés), así que tiene cierto aliciente buscar esos significados ocultos que entrañan los cuentos infantiles. De la Bella Durmiente, por ejemplo, se habla de que esos cien años de sueño corresponden a la espera prudente que se debe tener para la iniciación sexual, o también que el hecho de pincharse el dedo se corresponde con ese paso a la adultez y el despertar sexual de la princesa.
En cuanto a las ilustraciones en sí, son más bien sombras chinescas, siluetas que acompañan prácticamente cada página, algunas con más detalle que otras. Desde luego las mejores son las que están a doble página, con algunos toques de color (azul y dorado), o las de las habitaciones del castillo donde cada personaje está haciendo algo distinto. Y también la imagen que hay nada más empezar el libro, que sí que es una ilustración propiamente dicha más que una silueta.
La edición está cuidadísima y ¡me encanta el papel! (creo que es por deformación profesional, pero el papel gordito no satinado me vuelve loca). El libro es sin duda toda una pieza de colección así que si conocéis a alguien que le guste este tipo de cosas, seguro que le encanta.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful variation of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale - so much of it was familiar but there were other parts that had been added that weren't. The author of this one has a beautiful command of words while being quite detailed in his writing even going to the point of explaining the dishes that were served at a feast.

I loved how there was so much more put into the story while also being quite happily surprised at the ending for it wasn't as I was expecting it - again one of those unfamiliar worked-on parts.

Definitely a version I would like to see if I can find a hard copy for my collection.

My only complaints against the book itself is based upon the Kindle/E-book composition. There is the decree that was added to the book as well as one other paragraph that had been cut off. I had to change the font size to be able to read it instead of continuing to the other page while even that didn't work for the decree until I flipped it to the side.

And my other complaint is the book so clearly contained pictures that had captions that were unable to be seen in my Kindle so it would read the story then the captions would interrupt before the story continued.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juliana Ewing (Victorian author) wrote: "Fairy tales have positive uses in education, which no cramming of facts, and no merely domestic fiction can serve. Like Proverbs and Parables, they deal with first principles under the simplest forms. They convey knowledge of the world, shrewd lessons of virtue and vice, of common sense and sense of humor, of the seemly and the absurd, of pleasure and pain, success and failure. . . . They treat not the corner of a nursery or a playground, but the world at large, of forces visible and invisible, of Life, Death, and Immortality."

Not only was The Sleeping Beauty well-written and slyly humorous, it dealt effortlessly with eternal truths. Delightful!

[Mike Ogilvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this version of The Sleeping Beauty to Ainsley at bedtimes. There were palceholders for picturs, but no actual pictures - would have been nice to have those.

This is a much lengthier and richer version than any Disney version of Sleeping Beauty. But was not the original Grimms' Version - my understand is those are rather dark.

Was a great read - could tell that Ainsley really liked it, too.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A version of Sleeping Beauty that has several of the motifs that found the way into the Disney movie. While some what dated, Evans should get credit for making his Briar Rose smart. She is studies everything so knows not only languages, but law and physics. While she still has to be rescued, she isn't a dumb blonde.

[Aaron Records · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read, because it can be fun to read the original fairy-tales and then compare them to the Disney version most of us are raised on. In particular, this story has some major differences to the Disney version, such as that there are thirteen fairies, not three good and one bad witch. Interesting read.