The Bee-Man of Orn & Other Fanciful Tales

By Frank R. Stockton

Book Overview

"Simply superb" - Jack Zipes Griffins, wizards, dryads and fairies; banished kings, misguided queens and mysterious bee-men: the curious characters who populated Frank Stockton's fanciful fairy tale worlds once delighted generations of readers on both sides of the Atlantic. When he died in 1902 the New York Times lamented, "It is not easy to imagine any greater loss to American letters." Yet despite his profound significance for the development of the fairy tale, and his direct influence on American fantasy classics like The Wizard of Oz, Frank Stockton's trailblazing stories have fallen out of print. Now, readers young and old can once again enjoy his beloved stories in this new edition of his most celebrated collection, The Bee-Man of Orn and Other Fanciful Tales, first published in 1887 - complete with a biographical introduction which explains Stockton's profound importance to the story of fantasy literature. Edited by Hilary Emmett & Thomas Ruys Smith in collaboration with students from the Department of American Studies at UEA. "Stockton (1834-1902) was one of the first American writers to pioneer unique fantasy tales and novels at the end of the nineteenth century. Influenced by Hans Christian Andersen, he transcended the Danish writer's works, and thanks to the East Anglian collective effort, we can see how significant Stockton's imaginative works are."- Jack Zipes, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota and author of Buried Treasures: The Power of Political Fairy Tales "If you've wept too many tears over the Little Mermaid and if you've spent sleepless nights worrying about evil stepmothers but still long for fairy-tale magic, you're ready to enter Frank Stockton's universe of beekeepers and griffins, dryads and dwarfs. In these kingdoms, everything imaginable goes wrong, and, providentially, the quests and journeys of his characters are designed to make things right again. If you want more intelligent children, ready to think more and think harder about the life choices we make, read them Stockton's fairy tales, stories that create the safe space of "once upon a time" for all generations."- Maria Tatar, Professor Emerita of Folklore and Mythology at Harvard University, author of The Heroine with 1001 Faces and editor of the Norton Critical Edition of Classic Fairy Tales. "This edition will enlighten and entertain readers of classic fairy tales by introducing them to America's Hans Christian Andersen, Frank Stockton. The nine tales, originally published in St Nicholas Magazine in the 1880s, are contextualised by a richly researched introduction that explains how Stockton made a distinctive contribution to American fantasy for both adult and child readers."- Michelle Smith, editor of Literary Cultures and Nineteenth-Century Childhoods

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1915812631
• ISBN13: 9781915812636
• Release Date: September 2024
• Publisher: Uea Publishing Project, Ltd.
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Was written in 1887

I remember liking this story and the Maurice Sendak illustrations from childhood and just kind of assumed that the story was written around the time of the release of the Sendak illustrated edition. It wasn't as it turns out.

Stunning book

Beautiful tale, and the illustrations are wonderful. The CD showing the creation is a great way to have your child see and value the work that went into the book. Absolutely stunning. This book will move from the 5 yr old's shelf to mine when he turns 12, and then he'll beg me for it when he has a five year old. And that begging will be futile :)

great fairy tale

I ordered 5 of copies of the this book. We used it in a mother-daughter book club this summer. We visited a bee keeper, tasted many types of raw honey and honey comb. We learned many new things about the health benefits of honey. Some discussions that this book sparked: Are bees our friends too? Living things that are transformed in nature What animals transform food they eat into foods for people What is the difference between being magically transformed and being transformed through growth? The illustrations are beautiful. The Disc that comes with shows the artistic process. My children and myself found that very interesting.

The Bee Man of Orn

I agree with the above reviews completely! As an aspiring children's book writer and illustrator I can not praise JP Lynch's masterful ability to weave his illustrated visions with verse. I was so deeply taken by the detail of the illustrations of the book, that I was even more spellbound when I watched him share his process in the DVD. His journey into the illustrations is a wonderful accompaniment to the story, and not only that but the music that (he?) chose for the background make the adventure into his 'medievil world' all the more breath taking. I felt like I was there in the world of the story all the more as I watched the DVD & artwork unfold. I highly reccomend both the book and the DVD for aspiring artists and story lovers! As for children, or the child within any adult, it is a precious story of being true to who you already are!

Astoundingly Beautiful Illustrations & Story

Stockton outdid himself with this amazing story of the Bee Man - my all-time favorite picture book character. Exquisitely illustrated by P.J. Lynch, the story comes to life to tell of the Bee Man, aptly named for the swarms of bees he keeps as company. A sorcerer comes to reveal a life-changing secret to him, so he sets out on a journey to confirm its truth, and therefore his own origin. The living watercolor illustrations are positively luminous and as visually enchanting as any I've had the pleasure of witnessing. Impressive work by Lynch once again...he's truly one of the best in the business. The big bonus is the accompanying DVD highlighting Lynch's work in progress on this project. If you want to be awed, check it out.