The Brown Fairy Book vs The Grey Fairy Book: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Folklore, Fairy Tales, Children's fiction, Fiction
The Brown Fairy Book
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Thirty-two fairy tales from the folklore of Africa, Australia, Brazil, India, New Caledonia, and Persia.
The Grey Fairy Book
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A collection of thirty-five fairy tales from the folklore of Lithuania, Africa, Germany, Greece, and France, and other parts of the world.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Brown Fairy Book has the widest readership — 1324 ratings behind its score.
- The Brown Fairy Book runs the darker storyline; The Grey Fairy Book stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Brown Fairy Book | The Grey Fairy Book | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (1324) | 4.0 (1266) |
| Hardcover | 3.3 (8) | 2.5 (9) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (5) | 4.5 (5) |
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Reception
| The Brown Fairy Book | The Grey Fairy Book | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1324 | 1266 |
| Editions | 312 | 384 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 2701 | 2900 |
| Reading it now | 150 | 158 |
| Written reviews | 43 | 61 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3679 | 3679 |
| Pages | 215 | 178 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Brown Fairy Book or The Grey Fairy Book?
The Brown Fairy Book has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Brown Fairy Book 4.1/5, The Grey Fairy Book 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Brown Fairy Book or The Grey Fairy Book?
The Grey Fairy Book is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Grey Fairy Book (178 pages, ≈ 3 h 18 m); The Brown Fairy Book (215 pages, ≈ 3 h 59 m).
Which is harder to read: The Brown Fairy Book or The Grey Fairy Book?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Brown Fairy Book: Moderate; The Grey Fairy Book: Moderate.