Collecting the Empire: Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books (1889–1910)

Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books (1889–1910) not only contain implicit and explicit references to colonialism but also exhibit qualities similar to other nineteenth-century collections. Lang’s collection offers opportunities to engage with the comparative method of folklore, addresses theories of cultural evolution, and collects narratives from various countries and cultures, thereby allowing the narratives to be possessed and displayed. Recognizing the colonizing presence implicit in the process of editing international narratives into a collection designed for a British readership, this article demonstrates that individual stories such as “The Glass Axe” acquire further signification when analyzed, first, alongside another narrative in the collection, “The Magic Mirror,” and, second, when examined within the context of the Fairy Book collection as a whole