"[Zipes and Russo] provide insightful introductions, footnotes supplying cultural and historical information, vast endnotes, an alphabetical list of the tales, and an extensive bibliography. Illustrated by Carmelo Lettere, this resource will delight lovers of fairy tales as well as scholars. Essential." -CHOICE
"A century ago a Sicilian doctor, Giuseppe Pitrè, traveled the island gathering stories, songs, riddles, proverbs in different dialects. He blended the various versions of any given piece, polishing for sound, symbolism, historical clarity, emotional pitch. In these masterfully translated and arranged collections, Russo and Zipes offer us a peek at superstitions and fears of the occult, but also delight in rituals and ceremonies and acceptance of both the simple and the perverse. For anyone interested in human nature, these volumes are a treasure."—Donna Jo Napoli, Swarthmore College
"Jack Zipes and Joseph Russo have made Pitre's rich archive of Sicilian tales accessible to folklorists the world over. This collection is alive with kinetic energy and will have transformative effects on storytelling and its scholarly world."
—Maria Tatar, Harvard University, author of The Annotated Brothers Grimm and The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen
"This monumental translation invites us to discover one of the most important collections of folktales and fairy tales ever published. These two volumes of Sicilian tales collected by Giussepe Pitrè—expertly translated and annotated by Jack Zipes and Joseph Russo—will be an indispensable resource for scholars and an unending delight for all readers."
—Donald Haase, Wayne State University, editor of Marvel & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies and The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales
