A Book of Devils and Demons

by Ruth Manning-Sanders, Robin Jacques

1. Tripple-Trapple (Denmark)2. The Demon’s Daughter (Transylvania)3. Something Wonderful (Finland)4. Jack at Hell Gate (Hungary)5. The Monkey Nursemaid (India)6. Ironhead (Hungary)7. The Peppercorn Oxen (Hungary)8. The Blacksmith and the Devil (Gascony)9. The Kittel-Kittel Car (Alsace)10. A Ride to Hell (Denmark)11. The Little Red Mannikin (Carpathian Mountains)12. The Hill Demon (Norway)

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy

126 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Ruth Manning-Sanders, youngest daughter of an English minister, describes her childhood as “extraordinarily happy. . . with kind and understanding parents and any amount of freedom.” She read omnivorously, and she and her two sisters wrote and acted their own plays. A Shakespeare scholar at Manchester University, she later married Cornish artist George Manning-Sanders. They began married life in a horse drawn caravan, and traveled to all parts of the British Isles.
Mrs. Manning-Sanders has collected folk and fairy stories from around the world and she published more than 90 books during her lifetime.

Reviews

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairy tales about the world, with country sources (but no more) and nice illustrations, retold for children.

An interesting collection of tales. We have some that are clearly ogre or troll figures with a new name down to sometimes being beneficent, some where there's a veneer of actual diabolical element, such as the hero outwitting them by threatening to build a church at the gates of Hell, which will keep them in. A wide variety of tales.

[David Hoag · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first picked up Manning-Sanders work when I was little, maybe 10-12, I can't quite remember. I remember being most fascinated with Robin Jacques illustrations. The pictures were the best part. The stories in "A Book of Devil's and Demons" were solid and have the expected Roald Dahl slash Twilight Zone slash something I can't articulate. The stories weren't as good as I remembered them despite not actually having read THIS "A Book of...". I had read the one about giant, dwarves, ghosts, and witches, but that was about it. I recommend the books, but I am guessing most people would get a bit tired of the writing style after reading one or two of her books. They're quaint, feel like antiques, and illustrated by a legend.

[Zahraa Maytham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting. It's easy to see how much it differs from children's books nowadays. The ideas are all creative but very repetitive, the "good" character has the happy ending in all the stories. But it also made me wonder what was the definition of being good? The devils and demons in all the stories were the good ones in my opinion, they offered help when needed, and they kept their promises, unlike the other characters which we were supposed to root for. Or I'm just too old to read this. The illustrations were my favorite parts. Overall it was a good book to start with for people like me who are not "comfortable" yet with fantastical stories.

[David Hoag · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read through this like shit through a goose. I'd read a bunch of Manning-Sanders books when I was a kid and loved the short story format and Jacques art. This one is a very quick read, and most of the stories are good. It is funny, though, how antiquated even something from 1970 can be. It took me a good many years to work up the nerve to spend the money on it because I wanted a first edition and they're not everywhere.
Worth the wait.

[Emmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection was just okay, which is surprising coming from someone who has devoured every other Ruth Manning-Sanders book that has come my way! It's in part because of the topic, I think (devils and demons are not my cup of tea), but also, too, the stories were just not as amusing and fun as this author's other collections. My favorite story was "The Little Red Mannikin".

[Bodvar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this book from primary school. It was one of those books that I read over and over and stared at the illustrations.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars