🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author of fairy tales, novelist, poet, and dramatist. He was born on 2 April 1805 and died on 4 August 1875. He is remembered for his unique and outstanding fairy tales. The Ugly Duckling’ story starts when the duck’s egg hatches. Other birds and animals on the farm see the duckling as ugly creatures and start throwing all kinds of physical and verbal abuse. He walks around embarrassed and soon leaves the barnyard and chooses to live with wild ducks and geese. Escaping an instance where his life was in danger after the hunters slaughtered the entire flock, the duckling went to live with an old lady and her cat; he finds comfort in their home.
All Book Series by Hans Christian Andersen
Blockhead Hans / Clumsy Hans / Silly Hans / Jack the Dullard
Book 38 of 47 · published 1855
The Improvisatore, or, Life in Italy
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1835
The True Story of My Life / The Story of My Life
Single-title series · published 1847
Household Tales by Brothers Grimm
Series opener · book 1 of 15 · published 1812 Anthology · Andrew Lang,Jacob Grimm,Wilhelm Grimm,Margaret Hunt
Gods and Heroes of Ancient Greece
Book 2 of 15 · published 1837 Anthology · Gustav Schwab
Eventyrskatter
Book 3 of 15 · published 1868 Co-authored · Jacob Grimm,Wilhelm Grimm,Peter Christen Asbjørnsen,Jørgen Engebretsen Moe
Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies
Book 5 of 15 · published 1980 Anthology · Moss Roberts
American Indian Myths and Legends
Book 7 of 15 · published 1985 Anthology · Richard Erdoes
Favorite Folktales From Around the World
Book 8 of 15 · published 1986 Anthology · Jane Yolen
The Victorian Fairy Tale Book
Book 9 of 15 · published 1988 Anthology · Michael Patrick Hearn
Yiddish Folktales
Book 10 of 15 · published 1988 Anthology · Beatrice Weinreich
Legends and Tales of the American West
Book 12 of 15 · published 1998 Anthology · Richard Erdoes
Latin American Folktales: Stories from Hispanic and Indian Traditions
Book 13 of 15 · published 2001 Anthology · John Bierhorst
Russian Fairy Tales
Book 14 of 15 · published 2011 Anthology · Alexander Afanasyev
African Folktales
Latest in the series · book 15 of 15 · published 2016 Anthology · Wole Soyinka
Magical Animals
Series opener · book 1 of 53 · published 1982 Anthology · Carol Watson
The Elves and the Shoemaker
Book 7 of 53 · published 2004 Anthology · Jane Bingham
Stories of Magical Animals
Book 16 of 53 · published 2007 Anthology · Carol Watson
Stories of Witches
Book 17 of 53 · published 2007 Anthology · Christopher Rawson
Stories of Princes and Princesses
Book 18 of 53 · published 2007 Anthology · Christopher Rawson
The Dinosaurs Next Door
Book 20 of 53 · published 2007 Anthology · Harriet Castor
Stories of Haunted Houses
Book 26 of 53 · published 2007 Anthology · Russell Punter
The Emperor's New Clothes
Book 33 of 53 · published 2010 Anthology · Susanna Davidson
Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor
Book 36 of 53 · published 2011 Anthology · Katie Daynes
Saint George And The Dragon
Book 37 of 53 · published 2012 Anthology · Louie Stowell
The Stories of Merlin
Book 38 of 53 · published 2012 Anthology · Russell Punter
The Story of Pegasus
Book 42 of 53 · published 2014 Anthology · Susanna Davidson
Christmas Around the World
Book 43 of 53 · published 2014 Anthology · Anna Claybourne,Angelo Ruta
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Book 44 of 53 · published 2015 Anthology · Fiona Chandler
Stories of Dragons
Book 46 of 53 · published 2015 Anthology · Christopher Rawson
Aladdin and His Magical Lamp
Book 47 of 53 · published 2015 Anthology · Katie Daynes
Sleeping Beauty
Book 48 of 53 · published 2015 Anthology · Jana Costa,Kate Knighton
Puss in Boots
Book 50 of 53 · published 2015 Anthology · Teri Gower,Fiona Patchett
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs
Book 51 of 53 · published 2015 Anthology · Lesley Sims
Icarus, The Boy Who Flew Too High
Latest in the series · book 53 of 53 · published 2016 Anthology · Katie Daynes
A Very Scandinavian Christmas: The Greatest Nordic Holiday Stories of All Time
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2019
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hans Christian Andersen?
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author of fairy tales, novelist, poet, and dramatist. He was born on 2 April 1805 and died on 4 August 1875. He is remembered for his unique and outstanding fairy tales.
Which Hans Christian Andersen series should I start with?
The best place to start is The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library series, the earliest of Hans Christian Andersen's multi-book series: it opens with Household Tales by Brothers Grimm (1812) and runs to 15 books across 1812–2016, ending with African Folktales (2016). Hans Christian Andersen's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Hans Christian Andersen written?
Hans Christian Andersen has 132 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1812 and 2019. 115 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the Usborne Young Reading 1 series with 53 books — and 17 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Hans Christian Andersen's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Hans Christian Andersen's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library (1812–2016, 15 books), Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales (1835–2012, 47 books) and Usborne Young Reading 1 (1982–2016, 53 books).
How are Hans Christian Andersen's books organised into series?
This guide splits Hans Christian Andersen's 132 books into 3 named series and 17 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Usborne Young Reading 1 (53 books, 1982–2016); Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales (47 books, 1835–2012); The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library (15 books, 1812–2016).