Chosen by The New York Times as one of its best books in the year of its original publication, this treasure trove of 200 lively Italian folktales has won a cherished place among fans of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. In this collection, Calvino combines a sensibility attuned to the fantastical with a singular writerly ability to capture the visions and dreams of a culture.
One of the New York Times's Ten Best Books of the Year: These traditional stories of Italy, retold by a literary master, are "a treasure" (Los Angeles Times).

Filled with kings and peasants, saints and ogres--as well as some quite extraordinary plants and animals--these two hundred tales bring to life Italy's folklore, sometimes with earthy humor, sometimes with noble mystery, and sometimes with the playfulness of sheer nonsense.

Selected and retold by one of the country's greatest literary icons, "this collection stands with the finest folktale collections anywhere" (The New York Times Book Review).

"For readers of any age . . . A masterwork." --The Wall Street Journal

"A magic book, and a classic to boot." --Time