This collection of new translations of 30 stories, most of them among the best known in world literature, is justified on at least two counts. The first is editor Wullschlager's fine introduction, which discriminates three periods in Andersen's story-writing career and traces his and the stories' parallel developments from youthful pluck and optimism through midlife introspection and doubt to elderly fear and wistful hope. Distilling her brilliant, full-scale study Hans Christian^B Andersen^B (2000), Wullschlager shows how Andersen's psychological peculiarities and lasting neuroses inform the stories, points up the serious preoccupations and tragic undercurrents in Andersen's work, and stresses the oral, vernacular character of Andersen's artistry that has been so hard to translate adequately. The book's other great justification lies in translator Nunnally's work, which so persuasively renders Andersen's distinctive voice as Wullschlager--and Nunnally's invaluable translator's note--describes it. Adding value to the enterprise are the illustrations (unavailable for review), one per selection, which depict the paper cutouts Andersen made to accompany his oral delivery of his work. Ray Olson