Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Odense the son of a shoemaker His early life was wretched but he was adopted by a patron & became a short-story writer novelist & playwright though he remains best-known for his magical fairy tales which were published between 1835 & 1872 For 150 years his stories have been delighting both adults & children Packed with a light-hearted whimsy combined with a mature wisdom they are as entrancing as ever Here are all of Andersen's 154 tales & among the favourites are The Red Shoes The Mermaid The Real Princess The Emperor's New Clothes The Tinder Box & of course The Ugly Duckling