"Stories from the Pentamerone" by Giambattista Basile is a fairy tale collection published posthumously in 1634 and 1636. This groundbreaking work presents fifty Neapolitan tales told over five days through an elaborate frame story about a cursed princess who cannot laugh. Written in richly Baroque style, these stories preserve oral storytelling traditions and became the foundation for beloved tales later adapted by Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, including early versions of Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
