Book Lists

New Releases by Jack Zipes

Jack Zipes is the author of Once upon a Time There Was Truth (2026), Never-Ending Tales (2025), The Wrath of Peace or How the Wellikans Saved the World (2025), Os Contos de Fada e a Arte da Subversão (2023), The Brothers Grimm (2021).

26 results found

Once upon a Time There Was Truth

release date: Apr 21, 2026
Once upon a Time There Was Truth
Essays on imagining a better world in dark times, from one of our most esteemed scholars of fairy tales Fairy tales take us to a world where magic is commonplace, where wishing works, where the conflicts in our hearts are literalized in the world around us. The living, vibrant, democratic genre of the fairy tale draws stories from people and places all over the globe, and spreads them just as broadly. Yet in a world exhausted by war, famine, climate devastation, and political strife, are these tales still valid? Are they merely an escape, or are they something more? The eminent folklorist Jack Zipes argues here that fairy tales remain relevant and powerful, that they still speak truth to power. Indeed, he writes, we cannot do without them. In this collection of essays on such beloved tales as “Hansel and Gretel” and “Puss in Boots”; on the authors L. Frank Baum, E. T. A. Hoffmann, and the Brothers Grimm; and on the dubious influence of Disney, Zipes introduces readers to the history of the fairy tale and explores why the stories retain such a fierce hold on our imagination. He argues vigorously for the fighting utopian spirit the tales uphold—something our world sorely needs.

Never-Ending Tales

release date: Dec 02, 2025
Never-Ending Tales
An anthology of European and American short stories from the 1870s through the 1930s in which Jewish writers respond to antisemitism with humor, satire, irony, and hope Between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Jewish writers in Europe and America published countless stories addressing “the Jewish Question”—the intense debate about the treatment of Jews following their so-called emancipation. In Never-Ending Tales, Jack Zipes presents more than two dozen of these stories, which attempted to subvert the antisemitism that the debate represented. Humorous and bittersweet, and filled with ironic reversals, these are stories of fantasy, magic, and transformation—tales about little people who assert their humanity; about the Golem, the gargantuan savior of Jews; about rabbis who use wisdom and patience to protect their people; and much more. While illuminating the problems faced by Jews of the period, from assimilation and conversion to pogroms and fascism, these stories offer hope about surviving and overcoming antisemitism. Bringing together brilliant stories by well-known authors such as Sholem Aleichem, Karl Emil Franzos, Mynona, I. L. Peretz, and Israel Zangwill, and tales by lesser-known writers that deserve more attention, Never-Ending Tales also features a short novel, Hugo Bettauer’s The City without Jews: A Novel about the Near Future (1924), a satire in which the gentiles of Vienna rid the city of Jews only to find themselves hopeless without them. In addition, the anthology includes, for historical and literary context, an antisemitic story, “The Operated Jew,” by Oskar Panizza, to which another story in the collection—Mynona’s “The Operated Goy”—is a direct reply; important historical essays on the Jewish Question by Theodor Herzl and Leo W. Schwarz; and brief biographies.

The Wrath of Peace or How the Wellikans Saved the World

release date: Feb 21, 2025
The Wrath of Peace or How the Wellikans Saved the World
This captivating story follows the journey of twins Anja and Zack, two young witches who are separated from their parents after a ruthless dictator named Nexus takes control of the world. Guided by a mysterious, elderly witch, they set out to find the Wellikans, a hidden people living on a dark and secretive island. With her wisdom and support, Anja and Zack reach the island and join forces with scientists and the Wellikans to challenge Nexus's formidable technological power. Written by Zipes, a prolific author and political activist since the 60s, this novella reflects his belief that the world's conditions have deteriorated for many, particularly the young, and that fascism has crept into even the smallest corners of the globe. It is a hopeful tale of resistance and defiance, intended for his grandchildren and anyone who believes in standing up against oppression.

Os Contos de Fada e a Arte da Subversão

release date: Oct 12, 2023
Os Contos de Fada e a Arte da Subversão
Os contos de fada tem sido uma das influências culturais e sociais mais importantes na vida das crianças ao longo dos últimos séculos. Mas até este Os Contos de Fadas e a Arte da Subversão: O Gênero Clássico Para Crianças e o Processo Civilizador ser lançado em 1983, pouca atenção tinha sido dada à maneira como os escritores e coletores de contos utilizaram esse gênero tradicional para moldar a vida das crianças – seu comportamento, seus valores e a relação com a sociedade. Como Jack Zipes mostra de forma convincente, os contos de fada sempre constituíram um discurso poderoso, útil para moldar ou desestabilizar atitudes e comportamentos dentro da cultura. A edição brasileira se baseia na atual edição americana, revisada inteiramente pelo autor que adicionou uma nova introdução, atualizando este título clássico.

The Brothers Grimm

release date: Oct 24, 2021
The Brothers Grimm
Most of the fairy tales that we grew up with we know thanks to the Brothers Grimm. Jack Zipes, one of our surest guides through the world of fairy tales and their criticism, takes behind the romantics mythology of the wandering brothers. Bringing to bear his own critical expertise, as well as new biographical information, Zipes examines the interaction between the Grimms' lives and their work. He reveals the Grimms' personal struggle to overcome social prejudice and poverty, as well as their political efforts - as scholars and civil servant - toward unifying the German states. By deftly interweaving the social, political, and personal elements of the lives of the Brothers Grimm, Zipes rescues them from sentimental obscurity. No longer figures in fairy tale, the Brothers Grimm emerge as powerful creators, real men who established the fairy tale as one of our great literary institutions. Part biography, part critical assessment, part social history, the Brothers Grimm provides a complex and very real story about fairy tales and the modern world.

Tales of Wonder

release date: Jan 01, 2017
Tales of Wonder
A pictorial history of fairy-tale postcards from the late 19th century to the present, this volume presents a fascinating look at how key scenes of fairy tales have been rendered over time, suggesting a rethinking and reliving of the tales through the years. Full color. 12 x 12.

Fiabe con le ali

release date: Jan 01, 2017

Kinder- und Jugendliteraturforschung 2000/2001

release date: Dec 16, 2016
Kinder- und Jugendliteraturforschung 2000/2001
Die siebte Folge des Jahrbuches enthält Beiträge zum (kindlichen und jugendlichen) Leser im Text: Ute Dettmar und Elisabeth Stuck befassen sich mit Kindern als Leser und Laiendarsteller von Kinderschauspielen des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts. Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer untersucht den kindlichen Leser als Entzifferer von intertextuellen Bezügen. Andrea Weinmann zeichnet die Figur des kindlichen Zuhörers in Kinderbüchern der 50er und 60er Jahre nach, während Gunther Reiss sich mit Strategien der Leserlenkung in Texten von Gudrun Pausewang auseinandersetzt. Heinrich Kaulen untersucht das Motiv jugendlicher Schlüssellektüre im Adoleszenzroman der Moderne, um dessen Verschwinden im Zeitalter der Postmoderne zu konstatieren. Beiträge von Gabriele von Glasenapp zum Wandel des historischen Romans für junge Leser und von Karin Richter und Ute Frey zur Medienrezeption von Grundschülern schließen sich an. Ein umfassender Rezensionsteil und eine Bibliographie der Fachliteratur des Vorjahrs (ca. 1.600 Titel) runden den Band ab.

Singende Knochen

release date: Sep 29, 2016
Singende Knochen
Der australische Ausnahmekünstler Shaun Tan haucht den Märchen der Brüder Grimm mit seinen 75 Skulpturen neues Leben ein. Er bringt die Knochen der Vergangenheit zum Singen und beweist, dass diese Geschichten von einsamen Prinzessinnen, bösen Stiefschwestern und verräterischen Brüdern ihre Erzähler seit Jahrhunderten überdauern. Den Märchen von Liebe, Verrat und Abenteuer wohnt ein zeitloser Zauber inne, den Shaun Tan mit seiner atemberaubenden Kunst zugleich einfängt und entfesselt. Mit 75 Bildtafeln begleitet von Märchen-Zitaten, mit einem Vorwort des Bestsellerautors Philip Pullman und einer fachkundigen Einleitung des amerikanischen Grimm-Experten Jack Zipes!

The Man in the Iron Mask

release date: Dec 02, 2014
The Man in the Iron Mask
The Musketeers are back in another exciting adventure! This time a terrible secret threatens to bring down the throne of France. Aramis, Athos, Porthos, and d'Artagnan must rally once again to serve their king and save the country!

Hans Christian Andersen

release date: Jun 03, 2014
Hans Christian Andersen
The 2005 bicentenary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth is an opportunity to re-evaluate the achievement of one of the great figures of the fairy tale and storytelling tradition, a beloved writer famous for The Snow Queen and The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling and The Red Shoesand many other now classic tales. Jack Zipes broadens our understanding of Andersen by exploring the relation of the Danish writer's work to the development of literature and of the fairy tale in particular. Based on thirty-five years of researching and writing on Andersen, this new book is a welcome reconsideration of Andersen's place and of his reception in English-speaking countries and on film.

Sticks and Stones

release date: Nov 15, 2013
Sticks and Stones
Have children ever really had a literature of their own? In Sticks and Stones, Jack Zipes explores children's literature, from the grissly moralism of Slovenly Peter to the hugely successful Harry Potter books, and argues that despite common assumptions about children's books, our investment in children is paradoxically curtailing their freedom and creativity. Sticks and Stones is a forthright and engaging book by someone who cares deeply about what and how children read.

Why Fairy Tales Stick

release date: Sep 13, 2013
Why Fairy Tales Stick
In his latest book, fairy tales expert Jack Zipes explores the question of why some fairy tales "work" and others don't, why the fairy tale is uniquely capable of getting under the skin of culture and staying there. Why, in other words, fairy tales "stick." Long an advocate of the fairy tale as a serious genre with wide social and cultural ramifications, Jack Zipes here makes his strongest case for the idea of the fairy tale not just as a collection of stories for children but a profoundly important genre. Why Fairy Tales Stick contains two chapters on the history and theory of the genre, followed by case studies of famous tales (including Cinderella, Snow White, and Bluebeard), followed by a summary chapter on the problematic nature of traditional storytelling in the twenty-first century.

Relentless Progress

release date: Feb 01, 2013
Relentless Progress
Can fairy tales subvert consumerism? Can fantasy and children's literature counter the homogenizing influence of globalization? Can storytellers retain their authenticity in the age of consumerism? These are some of the critical questions raised by Jack Zipes, the celebrated scholar of fairy tales and children's literature. In this book, Zipes argues that, despite a dangerous reconfiguration of children as consumers in the civilizing process, children's literature, fairy tales, and storytelling possess a uniquely powerful (even fantastic)capacity to resist the "relentless progress" of negative trends in culture. He also argues that these tales and stories may lose their power if they are too diluted by commercialism and merchandising. Stories have been used for centuries as a way to teach children (and adults) how to see the world, as well as their place within it. In Relentless Progress, Zipes looks at the surprising ways that stories have influenced people within contemporary culture and vice versa. Among the many topics explored here are the dumbing down of books for children, the marketing of childhood, the changing shape of feminist fairy tales, and why American and British children aren’t exposed to more non-western fairy tales. From picture books to graphic novels, from children’s films to video games, from Grimm’s fairy tales to the multimedia Harry Potter phenomenon, Zipes demonstrates that while children’s stories have changed greatly in recent years, much about these stories have remained the same—despite their contemporary, high-tech repackaging. Relentless Progress offers remarkable insight into why classic folklore and fairy tales should remain an important part of the lives of children in today’s digital culture.

Fiabe, novelle e racconti popolari siciliani

release date: Jan 01, 2013

The Irresistible Fairy Tale

release date: Mar 19, 2012
The Irresistible Fairy Tale
A provocative new theory about fairy tales from one of the world's leading authorities If there is one genre that has captured the imagination of people in all walks of life throughout the world, it is the fairy tale. Yet we still have great difficulty understanding how it originated, evolved, and spread—or why so many people cannot resist its appeal, no matter how it changes or what form it takes. In this book, renowned fairy-tale expert Jack Zipes presents a provocative new theory about why fairy tales were created and retold—and why they became such an indelible and infinitely adaptable part of cultures around the world. Drawing on cognitive science, evolutionary theory, anthropology, psychology, literary theory, and other fields, Zipes presents a nuanced argument about how fairy tales originated in ancient oral cultures, how they evolved through the rise of literary culture and print, and how, in our own time, they continue to change through their adaptation in an ever-growing variety of media. In making his case, Zipes considers a wide range of fascinating examples, including fairy tales told, collected, and written by women in the nineteenth century; Catherine Breillat's film adaptation of Perrault's "Bluebeard"; and contemporary fairy-tale drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs that critique canonical print versions. While we may never be able to fully explain fairy tales, The Irresistible Fairy Tale provides a powerful theory of how and why they evolved—and why we still use them to make meaning of our lives.

La fiaba irresistibile. Storia culturale e sociale di un genere

release date: Jan 01, 2012

The Enchanted Screen

release date: Jan 27, 2011
The Enchanted Screen
The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films offers readers a long overdue, comprehensive look at the rich history of fairy tales and their influence on film, complete with the inclusion of an extensive filmography compiled by the author. With this book, Jack Zipes not only looks at the extensive, illustrious life of fairy tales and cinema, but he also reminds us that, decades before Walt Disney made his mark on the genre, fairy tales were central to the birth of cinema as a medium, as they offered cheap, copyright-free material that could easily engage audiences not only though their familiarity but also through their dazzling special effects. Since the story of fairy tales on film stretches far beyond Disney, this book, therefore, discusses a broad range of films silent, English and non-English, animation, live-action, puppetry, woodcut, montage (Jim Henson), cartoon, and digital. Zipes, thus, gives his readers an in depth look into the special relationship between fairy tales and cinema, and guides us through this vast array of films by tracing the adaptations of major fairy tales like "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Snow White," "Peter Pan," and many more, from their earliest cinematic appearances to today. Full of insight into some of our most beloved films and stories, and boldly illustrated with numerous film stills, The Enchanted Screen, is essential reading for film buffs and fans of the fairy tale alike.

Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion

release date: May 07, 2007
Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion
The fairy tale may be one of the most important cultural and social influences on children's lives. But until Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion, little attention had been paid to the ways in which the writers and collectors of tales used traditional forms and genres in order to shape children's lives – their behavior, values, and relationship to society. As Jack Zipes convincingly shows, fairy tales have always been a powerful discourse, capable of being used to shape or destabilize attitudes and behavior within culture. For this new edition, the author has revised the work throughout and added a new introduction bringing this classic title up to date.

When Dreams Came True

release date: Jan 01, 2007
When Dreams Came True
For centuries fairy tales have been a powerful mode of passing cultural values onto our children, and for many these stories delight and haunt us from cradle to grave. But how have these stories become so powerful and why? In When Dreams Came True, Jack Zipes explains the social life of the fairy tale, from the sixteenth century on into the twenty-first. Whether exploring Charles Perrault or the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen or The Thousand and One Nights, The Happy Prince or Pinocchio, L. Frank Baum or Hermann Hesse, Zipes shows how the authors of our beloved fairy tales used the genre to articulate personal desires, political views, and aesthetic preferences within particular social contexts. Above all, he demonstrates the role that the fairy tale has assumed in the civilizing process--the way it imparts values, norms, and aesthetic taste to children and adults. This second edition of one of Jack Zipes's best-loved books includes a new preface and two new chapters on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and E.T.A. Hoffman's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

Robber with the Witch's Head

release date: Jan 01, 2005
Robber with the Witch's Head
In one of the most stratling literary discoveries of recent years, Jack Zipes has uncovered this neglected treasuretrove of Sicilian folk and fairy tales. Like the Grimm brothers before her, Laura Gonzenbach, a talented Swiss-German born in Sicily, set out to gether up the tales told and retold among the peasants. Gonzenbach collected wonderful stories, some on subjects that readers will know from the Grimms or Perrault, some entirely new, and published them in German. her early death and the destruction of her papers in the Messina earthquake of 1908 only add to the mystery behind her achievement. The Robber with the Witch's Head is an instant classic: a ninteenth century collection of stories in the great tradition of fairy and folk tales now translated into English for the first time. Gonzenbach delights us woth heroines and princes, socery and surprise, the deeds of the brave and the treacherous, and the magic of the true storyteller. Yet while the stories enchant us, the wry taglines with which they often end ('And so they remainedrich and consoled, while we keep sitting here and are getting old') gently bring us back to earth. The Robber with the Witch's Head M is the rcihest

Breaking the Magic Spell

release date: Jul 05, 2002
Breaking the Magic Spell
Guts and Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film is the definitive study of the symbiotic relationship between the film industry and the United States armed services. Since the first edition was published nearly two decades ago, the nation has experienced several wars, both on the battlefield and in movie theatres and living rooms at home. Now author Lawrence Suid has extensively revised and expanded his classic history of the mutual exploitation of the film industry and the military, exploring how Hollywood has reflected and effected changes in America's image of its armed services. This significantly expanded edition has been brought completely up to date and includes many of the most recent war films, such as Saving Private Ryan, U-571, Pearl Harbor, and Windtalkers. Lawrence H. Suid, a military historian, is the author of several books and has recently appeared on The History Channel, Turner Classic Movies, and CNN. He lives in Greenbelt, Maryland. Click here for his website.

Happily Ever After

release date: Jan 01, 1997

Fairy Tale as Myth/myth as Fairy Tale

release date: Oct 25, 1994
Fairy Tale as Myth/myth as Fairy Tale
Traces the history of the fairy tale, discusses its relationship with society, and looks at the interpretation of fairy tales in film and literature

Les Contes de fées et l'art de la subversion

26 results found


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