Herman Hofberg compiles 82 stories in one volume, titled simply as Swedish Fairy Tales, with the main intention of augmenting efforts to preserve some of Sweden's beloved folk tales and pay homage to Swedish literature and history.
This edition is a translation of the original book, published in 1890. W.H. Myers, the translator, has assured in his preface that he has done "no embellishment and not more than a faithful reproduction of the author's ideas."
The translator also informs that he has left out some notes that the author has made on some passages in the stories and added some of them into the tales as a natural part of the accounts, rather than put all of them in a separate section in the book. This helps readers go through the stories without having to flip through other pages for the supplemental information.
The compiler has grouped the fairy tales by region, beginning with Skane and ending with Lapland. Nearly all stories are supplied with beautiful artistic renderings of the tale in question. The illustrations, done by some of the best Swedish artists of the time, are new additions, courtesy of the translator.
Those aged 8-80, Swedish or otherwise, will enjoy reading these stories for both their entertainment and educational value.