Ruth Manning-Sanders
Encyclopedia
Ruth Manning-Sanders was a prolific British
poet
and author
who was perhaps best known for her series of children's books in which she collected and retold fairy tales from all over the world. All told, she published more than 90 books during her lifetime. The dust jacket
for A Book of Giants
aptly describes her writing style: "Mrs. Manning-Sanders tells the stories with wit and good humor. There is not a word wasted."
minister
. She was born in Swansea
, Wales
, but, when she was three, her family moved to Cheshire
, England
. As a child, she had a great interest in reading books on many topics. She and her two sisters wrote and acted in their own plays
. She described her childhood
as "extraordinarily happy ... with kind and understanding parents and any amount of freedom."
Some great insight into her childhood, and perhaps her inspirations, comes from an autobiographical story she tells in the foreword to Scottish Folk Tales
:
Manning-Sanders studied English literature
and Shakespearean studies
at Manchester University. She married English
artist George Sanders in 1911 (they changed their name to Manning-Sanders) and spent much of her early married life touring Great Britain
with a horse-drawn caravan and working in the circus
(a topic she wrote about extensively). Eventually, the family moved into a cottage in the fishing hamlet
of Land's End
, Cornwall
. She and her husband had two children together, one of whom, Joan Floyd (May 17, 1913, to May 9, 2002), found some fame as a teenage artist in the 1920s while under her maiden name of Joan Manning-Sanders.
After World War II
and the accidental death
of her husband (in 1952), Manning-Sanders published dozens of fairy-tale anthologies, mostly during the 1960s and 1970s. Many of them had titles beginning with "A Book of..." Some titles, therefore, were A Book of Wizards
, A Book of Dwarfs
, and so forth.
In the foreword
to her 1971 fairy-tale anthology, A Choice of Magic
, Manning-Sanders writes:
In the forewords to some fairy-tale compilations, Manning-Sanders discusses the origins of the tales she is retelling. The stories in A Book of Dragons
hail from Greece
, China
, Japan
, Macedonia
, Ireland
, Romania
and Germany
, among other places. Manning-Sanders goes out of her way to state that "not all dragons want to gobble up princesses." She thus includes tales of kind and proud dragons, along with the savage ones.
Some insight into how Manning-Sanders believes fairy tales should usually end can be gleaned from a passage in her foreword to A Book of Witches
:
:
While many of the tales Manning-Sanders relates in her various fairy-tale anthologies are not commonly known, she also includes stories about some famous literary and cultural characters, such as Baba Yaga
, Jack the Giant-Killer
, Anansi
, Snow White
, Hansel and Gretel
, Robin Hood
and Aladdin
.
Manning Sanders died in 1988 in Penzance
, England
.
In the February 1989 issue of The Junior Bookshelf, Marcus Crouch
wrote, "For many long-lived writers, death is followed by eclipse. I hope that publishers will (continue to re-release Manning-Sanders') priceless treasury of folk-tales. We would all be the poorer for their loss."
Other selected titles
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who was perhaps best known for her series of children's books in which she collected and retold fairy tales from all over the world. All told, she published more than 90 books during her lifetime. The dust jacket
Dust jacket
The dust jacket of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book covers...
for A Book of Giants
A Book of Giants
A Book of Giants is a 1963 anthology of 13 fairy tales from Europe that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders...
aptly describes her writing style: "Mrs. Manning-Sanders tells the stories with wit and good humor. There is not a word wasted."
Biography
Ruth Vernon Manning was the youngest of three daughters of John Manning, an English UnitarianUnitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
. She was born in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, but, when she was three, her family moved to Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. As a child, she had a great interest in reading books on many topics. She and her two sisters wrote and acted in their own plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
. She described her childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
as "extraordinarily happy ... with kind and understanding parents and any amount of freedom."
Some great insight into her childhood, and perhaps her inspirations, comes from an autobiographical story she tells in the foreword to Scottish Folk Tales
Scottish Folk Tales
Scottish Folk Tales is a 1976 anthology of 18 fairy tales from Scotland that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders...
:
When were children, my sisters and I, we spent our summer holidays in a farmhouseFarmhouseFarmhouse is a general term for the main house of a farm. It is a type of building or house which serves a residential purpose in a rural or agricultural setting. Most often, the surrounding environment will be a farm. Many farm houses are shaped like a T...
at the edge of a sea loch in the HighlandsScottish HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. The farmer's family was a big one, ranging from Granny Stewart (very old, very lame, and generally laughing) down through parents, grown-up sons and daughters, to children of our own age. Granny Stewart knew no end of stories, and she loved to tell them as much as we loved to listen. ... Of course, we weren't always listening to stories: that was a wet weather pastime. At other times we were out swimming, or riding the farm horses (when they allowed themselves to be caught) or boating on the loch and singing to the seals. ...The evenings would usually find us gathered in the big candle-lit barn, with one of the grown-up sons (either Jock or Lachie) marching up and down playing the bagpipes, and all the rest of us energetically dancing reels. What fun we had! But I think the highlight of all these holidays came on my tenth birthday. On the evening before this birthday (unknown to us children) a gipsy with a dancing bear arrived at the farm, asking to be ferried across the loch. With a good supper of cheese and oatcakeOatcakeAn oatcake is a type of cracker or pancake, made from oatmeal, and sometimes flour as well. Oatcakes are cooked on a griddle or baked in an oven.- Scottish oatcakes :...
s, and a bed of straw in a disused stable, the gipsy was easily persuaded to stay the night. Imagine my joyous surprise when, on running out the next morning after breakfast, I saw the bear on a grass plat close to the quay, waiting to go through his tricks. ... And when the tricks had been duly performed, with ample rewards of 'sugar and spice and all things nice' between each one, the bear was led down to the waiting boat, clambered in, and seated himself in the stern, like the seasoned traveller he was. I remember it so vividly: the bear with his humped brown back and heavy head, the two rowers watching his every movement rather anxiously, and ourselves standing in a group on the quay, shouting our farewells. But not once did that bear turn to give us a parting glance. His eyes were fixed on the opposite shore, where doubtless he would go through his performance all over again: though never, surely, to a more appreciative audience... (The name of the farm, by the way, was Shian, which means the place where fairies live.)
Manning-Sanders studied English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and Shakespearean studies
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
at Manchester University. She married English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist George Sanders in 1911 (they changed their name to Manning-Sanders) and spent much of her early married life touring Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
with a horse-drawn caravan and working in the circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
(a topic she wrote about extensively). Eventually, the family moved into a cottage in the fishing hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Land's End
Land's End
Land's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. She and her husband had two children together, one of whom, Joan Floyd (May 17, 1913, to May 9, 2002), found some fame as a teenage artist in the 1920s while under her maiden name of Joan Manning-Sanders.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the accidental death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
of her husband (in 1952), Manning-Sanders published dozens of fairy-tale anthologies, mostly during the 1960s and 1970s. Many of them had titles beginning with "A Book of..." Some titles, therefore, were A Book of Wizards
A Book of Wizards
A Book of Wizards is a 1967 anthology of 11 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, A Book of Dwarfs
A Book of Dwarfs
A Book of Dwarfs is a 1964 anthology of 17 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, and so forth.
In the foreword
Foreword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
to her 1971 fairy-tale anthology, A Choice of Magic
A Choice of Magic
A Choice of Magic is a 1971 anthology of 32 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. In fact, the book is mostly a collection of tales published in previous Manning-Sanders anthologies...
, Manning-Sanders writes:
There can be no new fairy tales. They are records of the time when the world was very young; and never, in these latter days, can they, or anything like them, be told again. Should you try to invent a new fairy tale you will not succeed: the tale rings false, the magic is spurious. For the true world of magic is ringed round with high, high walls that cannot be broken down. There is but one little door in the high walls which surround that world -- the little door of 'once upon a timeOnce upon a time"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase that has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language, and seems to have become a widely accepted convention for opening oral narratives by around 1600. These stories often then end with ".....
and never again.' And so it must suffice that we can enter through that little door into the fairy world and take our choice of all its magic.
In the forewords to some fairy-tale compilations, Manning-Sanders discusses the origins of the tales she is retelling. The stories in A Book of Dragons
A Book of Dragons
A Book of Dragons is a 1965 anthology of 14 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
hail from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, among other places. Manning-Sanders goes out of her way to state that "not all dragons want to gobble up princesses." She thus includes tales of kind and proud dragons, along with the savage ones.
Some insight into how Manning-Sanders believes fairy tales should usually end can be gleaned from a passage in her foreword to A Book of Witches
A Book of Witches
A Book of Witches is a 1966 anthology of 12 fairy tales from Europe that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
:
Now in all these stories, as in fairy tales about witches in general, you may be sure of one thing: however terrible the witches may seem -- and whatever power they may have to lay spells on people and to work mischief -- they are always defeated. ... Because it is the absolute and very comforting rule of the fairy tale that the good and brave shall be rewarded, and that bad people shall come to a bad end.Along those same lines, Manning-Sanders notes in the foreword to A Book of Princes and Princesses
A Book of Princes and Princesses
A Book of Princes and Princesses is a 1970 anthology of 13 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
:
And so you will find, as you read these stories, that they all have one thing in common. Though they come from many different countries, and were told long, long ago by simple people separated that they may not even have known of each other's existence, yet the stories these people told are all alike in this: they every one have a happy endingHappy endingA happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the protagonists, their sidekicks, and almost everyone except the villains....
.
While many of the tales Manning-Sanders relates in her various fairy-tale anthologies are not commonly known, she also includes stories about some famous literary and cultural characters, such as Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga or Baba Roga is a haggish or witchlike character in Slavic folklore. She flies around on a giant pestle, kidnaps small children, and lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs...
, Jack the Giant-Killer
Jack the Giant-killer
"Jack the Giant Killer" is a British fairy tale about a plucky lad who slays a number of giants during King Arthur's reign. The tale is characterized by violence, gore, and blood-letting. Giants are prominent in Cornish folklore and Welsh Bardic lore, but the source of "Jack the Giant Killer" is...
, Anansi
Anansi
Anansi the trickster is a spider, and is one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore.He is also known as Ananse, Kwaku Ananse, and Anancy; and in the Southern United States he has evolved into Aunt Nancy. He is a spider, but often acts and appears as a man...
, Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
, Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...
, Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
and Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
.
Manning Sanders died in 1988 in Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In the February 1989 issue of The Junior Bookshelf, Marcus Crouch
Marcus Crouch
Marcus Crouch was a British librarian and an influential reviewer of, and commentator on, children's books.- Life and works :...
wrote, "For many long-lived writers, death is followed by eclipse. I hope that publishers will (continue to re-release Manning-Sanders') priceless treasury of folk-tales. We would all be the poorer for their loss."
Selected bibliography
Complete list of "A Book of..." titles- A Book of GiantsA Book of GiantsA Book of Giants is a 1963 anthology of 13 fairy tales from Europe that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders...
, 1962 - A Book of DwarfsA Book of DwarfsA Book of Dwarfs is a 1964 anthology of 17 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1963 - A Book of DragonsA Book of DragonsA Book of Dragons is a 1965 anthology of 14 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1964 - A Book of WitchesA Book of WitchesA Book of Witches is a 1966 anthology of 12 fairy tales from Europe that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1965 - A Book of WizardsA Book of WizardsA Book of Wizards is a 1967 anthology of 11 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1966 - A Book of MermaidsA Book of MermaidsA Book of Mermaids is a 1968 anthology of 16 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long and notable series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders, who was perhaps the pre-eminent collector of fairy tales in the latter half of...
, 1967 - A Book of Ghosts and GoblinsA Book of Ghosts and GoblinsA Book of Ghosts and Goblins is a 1969 anthology of 21 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1968 - A Book of Princes and PrincessesA Book of Princes and PrincessesA Book of Princes and Princesses is a 1970 anthology of 13 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1969 - A Book of Magical BeastsA Book of Magical BeastsA Book of Magical Beasts is a 1970 anthology of 37 fairy tales and fantasy poems from around the world that have been collected and presented, in other authors' versions, by Ruth Manning-Sanders...
, 1970 (editor) - A Book of Devils and DemonsA Book of Devils and DemonsA Book of Devils and Demons is a 1970 anthology of 12 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders...
, 1970 - A Book of Charms and ChangelingsA Book of Charms and ChangelingsA Book of Charms and Changelings is a 1972 anthology of 15 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1971 - A Book of Ogres and TrollsA Book of Ogres and TrollsA Book of Ogres and Trolls is a 1973 anthology of 13 fairy tales from around Europe that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1972 - A Book of Sorcerers and SpellsA Book of Sorcerers and SpellsA Book of Sorcerers and Spells is a 1974 anthology of 12 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders...
, 1973 - A Book of Magic AnimalsA Book of Magic AnimalsA Book of Magic Animals is a 1975 anthology of 11 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders. This book was first published in the United Kingdom in 1974, by Methuen & Co...
, 1974 - A Book of MonstersA Book of MonstersA Book of Monsters is a 1976 anthology of 12 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders. This book was first published in the United Kingdom in 1975, by Methuen & Co. Ltd.In the...
, 1975 - A Book of Enchantments and CursesA Book of Enchantments and CursesA Book of Enchantments and Curses is a 1977 anthology of 13 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1977 - A Book of Kings and QueensA Book of Kings and QueensA Book of Kings and Queens is a 1978 anthology of 10 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1977 - A Book of Marvels and MagicA Book of Marvels and MagicA Book of Marvels and Magic is a 1978 anthology of 13 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1978 - A Book of Spooks and SpectresA Book of Spooks and SpectresA Book of Spooks and Spectres is a 1980 anthology of 23 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1979 - A Book of Cats and CreaturesA Book of Cats and CreaturesA Book of Cats and Creatures is a 1981 anthology of 18 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders.-Table of contents:*Introduction...
, 1981 - A Book of Heroes and HeroinesA Book of Heroes and HeroinesA Book of Heroes and Heroines is a 1982 anthology of 13 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders.-Table of contents:...
, 1982 - A Book of Magic AdventuresA Book of Magic AdventuresA Book of Magic Adventures is a 1983 anthology of 12 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders.-Table of contents:...
, 1983 - A Book of Magic HorsesA Book of Magic HorsesA Book of Magic Horses is a 1984 anthology of 16 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders.-Table of contents:*1. The Dapple Horse...
, 1984
Other selected titles
- The Pedlar and Other Poems, 1919
- Karn, 1922
- Pages from the History of Zachy Trenoy -- Sometime Labourer in the Hundred of PenwithPenwithPenwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...
, 1922 - The Twelve Saints, 1926
- Martha Wish-You-Ill, 1922
- The City, 1927
- Waste Corner, 1927
- Selina Pennaluna, 1927
- Hucca's Moor, 1929
- The Crochet Woman, 1930
- The Growing Trees, 1931
- She Was Sofia, 1932
- Run Away, 1934
- Mermaid's Mirror, 1935
- The Girls Who Made an Angel, 1936
- Children By The Sea, 1938 (published in United States as Adventure May Be Anywhere)
- Elephant: The Romance of Laura, 1938
- Luke's Circus, 1939
- Mystery at Penmarth, 1941
- The West of England, 1949 (non-fiction)
- Swan of Denmark: The Story of Hans Christian Andersen, 1949 (non-fiction)
- Seaside England, 1951 (non-fiction)
- The River DartRiver DartThe River Dart is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty.-Watercourse:...
, 1951 (non-fiction) - The English Circus, 1952 (non-fiction)
- Mr. Portal's Little Lions, 1952
- The Golden Ball: A Novel of the Circus, 1954
- Peter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy TalesPeter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy TalesPeter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy Tales is a 1966 anthology of 34 fairy tales from Cornwall that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It was the first in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
, 1958 - A Bundle of Ballads, 1959
- Circus Boy, 1960
- Red Indian Folk and Fairy TalesRed Indian Folk and Fairy TalesRed Indian Folk and Fairy Tales is a 1960 anthology of 19 fairy tales from North American Indian culture that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders.-Table of contents:...
, 1960 - Animal Stories, 1961 (non-fiction)
- Birds, Beasts, and Fishes, 1962 (editor, an anthology of natural history poetry)
- The Smugglers, 1962
- The Red King and the Witch: Gypsy Folk and Fairy TalesThe Red King and the Witch: Gypsy Folk and Fairy TalesThe Red King and the Witch: Gypsy Folk and Fairy Tales is a 1965 anthology of 25 tales that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders...
, 1964 - Damian and the Dragon: Modern Greek Folk-TalesDamian and the Dragon: Modern Greek Folk-TalesDamian and the Dragon: Modern Greek Folk-Tales is a 1965 anthology of 21 tales that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders.It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders...
, 1965 - The Crow's Nest, 1965
- Slippery Shiney, 1965
- The Extraordinary Margaret CatchpoleMargaret CatchpoleMargaret Catchpole , a British adventuress, chronicler and criminal, born in Suffolk she worked as a servant in various houses before being convicted of stealing a horse and later escaping from Ipswich Gaol. Following her capture she was transported to Australia...
, 1966 (fictionalized biography) - The Magic Squid, 1968
- Stories from the English and Scottish BalladsStories from the English and Scottish BalladsStories from the English and Scottish Ballads is a 1968 anthology of 15 ballads that have been collected and retold in prose or fairy tale form by Ruth Manning-Sanders, for easier reading. It is one in a long series of anthologies by Manning-Sanders. Most, if not all, of the tales within are prose...
, 1968 - The Glass Man and the Golden Bird: Hungarian Folk and Fairy TalesThe Glass Man and the Golden Bird: Hungarian Folk and Fairy TalesThe Glass Man and the Golden Bird: Hungarian Folk and Fairy Tales is a 1968 anthology of 21 tales from Hungary that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders...
, 1968 - Jonnikin and the Flying Basket: French Folk and Fairy TalesJonnikin and the Flying Basket: French Folk and Fairy TalesJonnikin and the Flying Basket: French Folk and Fairy Tales is a 1969 anthology of 17 French tales that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders...
, 1969 - The Spaniards Are Coming!, 1969
- Gianni and the OgreGianni and the OgreGianni and the Ogre is a 1971 anthology of 18 fairy tales that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders. This book was first published in the United Kingdom in 1970, by Methuen & Co...
, 1970 - A Choice of MagicA Choice of MagicA Choice of Magic is a 1971 anthology of 32 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. In fact, the book is mostly a collection of tales published in previous Manning-Sanders anthologies...
, 1971 - The Three Witch MaidensThe Three Witch MaidensThe Three Witch Maidens was originally published in the United Kingdom in 1972, by Methuen & Co. Ltd.. This entry, however, refers to the 1977 paperback version published by The Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. under its Beaver Books imprint....
, 1972 - FestivalsFestivals (1973 book)Festivals is a 1973 anthology of festival-related folklore from around the world that have been compiled by Ruth Manning-Sanders. According the book's dust jacket, "This potpourri of festivals reveals fascinating customs and celebrations from many countries of the world...
, 1973 - Stumpy: A Russian Tale, 1974
- Grandad and the Magic Barrel, 1974
- Old Dog Sirko: A Ukrainian Tale, 1974
- Sir Green Hat and the WizardSir Green Hat and the WizardSir Green Hat and the Wizard is a 1974 anthology of 14 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders.-Table of contents:...
, 1974 - Tortoise TalesTortoise TalesTortoise Tales is a 1974 anthology of 13 animal-centered fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. These tales are written for a younger level of reader than Manning-Sanders' more familiar "A Book of..." series of fairy tales.According to the...
, 1974 - Ram and Goat, 1974
- Young Gabby GooseYoung Gabby GooseYoung Gabby Goose is a 1976 paperback anthology of 14 animal-centered fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. These tales are written for a younger level of reader than Manning-Sanders' more familiar "A Book of..." series of fairy tales. This...
, 1975 - Scottish Folk TalesScottish Folk TalesScottish Folk Tales is a 1976 anthology of 18 fairy tales from Scotland that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders...
, 1976 - Fox TalesFox TalesFox Tales is a 1976 anthology of 16 animal-centered fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. These tales are written for a slightly younger level of reader than Manning-Sanders' more familiar "A Book of..." series of fairy tales.-Contents:*1....
, 1976 - The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse: Aesop's Fable Retold, 1977
- Robin Hood and Little John, 1977
- Old Witch BoneylegOld Witch BoneylegOld Witch Boneyleg is a 1978 anthology of 13 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders. This is a companion volume to The Haunted Castle...
, 1978 - The Cock and the Fox, 1978
- Boastful Rabbit, 1978
- Folk and Fairy TalesFolk and Fairy TalesFolk and Fairy Tales is a 1978 anthology of 25 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. In fact, the book is mostly a collection of tales published in previous Manning-Sanders anthologies...
, 1978 - The Haunted Castle, 1979
- Robin Hood and the Gold Arrow, 1979
- Oh Really, Rabbit!, 1980
- Hedgehog and Puppy Dog, 1982
- Tales of Magic and MysteryTales of Magic and MysteryTales of Magic and Mystery is a 1985 anthology of 11 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders.-Table of contents:*Foreword...
, 1985 - A Cauldron of WitchesA Cauldron of WitchesA Cauldron of Witches is a 1988 anthology of 12 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It was the final published book in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders, who died in October 1988 at age 102.-Table of contents:*Foreword*1....
, 1988