The Fairest of Them All

"Tilt the magic mirror this way, that, and you'll find nearly two dozen reflections, each dazzling, of the ur-fairy tale known as Snow White. With her trademark brio and deep-tissue understanding, Maria Tatar opens the glass casket on this undying story, which retains its power to charm twenty-one times, and counting."

-Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked

"Fascinating. A strange, beguiling history of stories about beauty, jealousy and maternal persecution."

-Wall Street Journal

"Tatar trains a keen eye on the appeal of the bitter conflict between women at the heart of the tale. An exciting and authoritative anthology from the wisest good fairy in the world of the fairy tale."

-Marina Warner, author of Once Upon a Time

The story of the rivalry between a beautiful, innocent girl and her cruel and jealous mother has been endlessly repeated and refashioned all over the world. The Brothers Grimm gave this story the name by which we know it best, and in 1937 Walt Disney sweetened their sombre version to make the first feature-length, animated fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since then the Disney film has become our cultural touchstone—the innocent heroine, her evil stepmother, the envy that divides them, and a romantic rescue from domestic drudgery and maternal persecution. But each culture has its own way of telling this story.

An acclaimed folklorist, Maria Tatar brings to life a global melodrama of mother-daughter rivalries that play out in unforgettable variations across countries and cultures.