Prince Silverwings and Other Fairy Tales

Before L. Frank Baum built his emerald kingdoms, he found inspiration in the delicate fairy tales of Edith Ogden Harrison. Prince Silverwings and Other Fairy Tales collects sevenenchanting stories that Harrison published in 1902, her debut and the work that would eventually draw Baum into an ill-fated stage collaboration. The title story follows a prince who must earn his wings through acts of courage, but the collection spans kingdoms of ice, enchanted kingdoms, and children whisked away to magical lands. These are fairy tales in the classic mode: gentle but not saccharine, with real peril and hard-won triumph. Harrison's prose has the quality of a bedtime story told by someone who understands that children crave both comfort and thrills. The book's significance extends beyond its pages: it represents a forgotten branch of American fantasy literature that helped seed the Oz phenomenon, making it a fascinating piece of literary history disguised as a simple children's book.