The Brown Fairy Book vs The Pied Piper of Hamelin: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Folklore, Fairy Tales, Children's fiction

Cover of The Brown Fairy Book

The Brown Fairy Book Andrew Lang · 1904 ★★★★☆ 4.1 215 pages · ≈ 3 h 59 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

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Cover of The Pied Piper of Hamelin

The Pied Piper of Hamelin Robert Browning · 1888 ★★★★☆ 3.9 54 pages · ≈ 1 h 00 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.1 vs 3.9 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the quicker read — about 1 hours vs 3 for The Brown Fairy Book.
The Brown Fairy Book is the easier read (Moderate), The Pied Piper of Hamelin more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side