The Wonder Clock

Howard Pyle set himself an unusual task here: twenty-four original fairy tales, one for every hour on the clock face, written in the plain cadence of old folk stories rather than borrowed from any single tradition. Kings, millers’ sons, talking animals, and cunning young heroes fill its pages, each tale opened by a short verse from his sister Katharine. Pyle also drew the many woodcut-style illustrations himself, so the book is as much a pleasure for the eye as for the ear when read aloud. Written to sound as though handed down for generations, it stands among the finest American additions to the fairy tale form. First published in 1887, it can be downloaded as a free PDF and EPUB.