298R: Late 1970/ early 1980s fairy tale book with 12 Dancing Princesses

I checked in the fairy tales page but didn’t find my book amongst the ones listed. I am looking for a child’s fairy tale book that was probably published in the late 1970s or early 80s and possibly in Canada as my parents lived in the Niagara Falls area and it may have been purchased in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The book was oversized and probably around 100 pages with a pale bluish cover and contained many tales including The Nightingale and I think the very last story was the 12 Dancing Princesses. It was heavily illustrated with beautiful colour illustrations that had a very “silky” look to clothing and hair of the characters. I’m pretty sure it was a generic title such as Fairy Tales or maybe World’s Best Fairy Tales and it is NOT the Reader’s Digest book from that era. I think there may have been a prince and princess on the front cover and there was a round vignette illustration on the back of scenery I believe. Any help would be appreciated!

6 thoughts on “298R: Late 1970/ early 1980s fairy tale book with 12 Dancing Princesses”

Libby July 10, 2017 at 11:40 pm

Hello, I think I may be looking for the same book. I remember the pale blue cover, the vignette on the back, and silky-look illustrations that you described. They were very elaborate illustrations; I also remember them being sort of spooky as a child. The collection included the 12 Dancing Princesses, the Snow Queen, and another tale involving fish…those are the only stories that come to mind at the moment. It did have a generic title like you mentioned, and published probably around the same time. Please let me know if you’re able to find it!

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Aiden October 2, 2017 at 5:45 pm

If it helps, the same book may also contain the tale “My Own Self”, about a naughty boy up past his bedtime, and a fairy-child named My Own Self. There were also stories including one about a princess turning into a basilisk, nearly slain by her brother(?), and a queen that turned into a frog. I used to have this book, and I’m hoping to find it again.

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Edie November 22, 2017 at 8:25 pm

Could it be the Random house book of fairy tales? I had this as a child and recently purchased it for our children. They have changed the cover a bit.

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