A Book of Witches

infobox Book |
name = A Book of Witches
title_orig =
translator =
author = Ruth Manning-Sanders
cover_artist = Robin Jacques
illustrator = Robin Jacques
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Fairy Tales
publisher = E. P. Dutton
release_date = 1966
media_type = Print (hardcover)
pages = 127 pp

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.

This book was first published in the United Kingdom in 1965, by Methuen & Co. Ltd.

Some of tales from this book are recollected in "A Choice of Magic" (1971) by Manning-Sanders. And some of tales from this book are recollected in "Folk and Fairy Tales" (1978) by Manning-Sanders.

In the foreword, the author writes: "There are good witches and bad witches; but the number of the bad witches is great, and the number of the good witches is small. And since the business of the good witches is mainly to undo the mischief made by the bad ones, their stories are not very interesting." Manning-Sanders indicates that Tatterhood is the only tale in the collection that makes any mention of a good witch. The author goes on to say that bad witches are quite powerful and can fly on broomsticks, stalks of ragwort or even old jars.

Table of contents

*1. The Old Witch (England)
*2. Rapunzel (Germany)
*3. Lazy Hans (Germany)
*4. The Twins and the Snarling Witch (Russia)
*5. Esben and the Witch (Denmark)
*6. Prunella (Italy)
*7. The Donkey Lettuce (Germany)
*8. Hansel and Gretel (Germany)
*9. Tatterhood (Norway)
*10. The White Dove (Denmark)
*11. Johnny and the Witch-Maidens (Bohemia)
*12. The Blackstairs Mountain (Ireland)

ee also

*Witchcraft