Hans Christian Andersen

In the first part of this sympathetic book the author traces the story of Andersen's extraordinary life and shows how often his tales grew out of his own experience. The second part of the book, a study of the tales themselves, will be a revelation to most people for, as the author says, Andersen has long been relegated to the nursery, and few adults realize the full extent of his wit, charm and sheer genius as a storyteller.