'The Little Mermaid? is one of the most haunting stories ever written. Its author, Hans Christian Andersen, made the literary fairy tale so much his own that even today no writer has surpassed him. This collection, with an introduction and fresh new translations of the tales by Neil Philip, includes such favorites as ?The Emperor's New Clothes,? ?The Little Match Girl,? and ?The Steadfast Tin Soldier? as well as eleven other tales. The book is illustrated throughout with Isabelle Brent's intricate watercolors, accented in rich fifth-color gold, which elegantly compliment these magical tales.