Such was the delight in Angela Carter's The Virago Book of Fairy Tales, that she compiled a second volume. And what a treasure trove it is, perfectly complemented by the bewitching drawings of Corinna Sargood, brimming with pretty maids and old crones, crafty women and bad girls, enchantresses and midwives, rascal aunts and odd sisters. Here is a fabulous celebration of strong minds, low cunning, black arts and dirty tricks as could only have been collected by the unique Angela Carter, who wrote in her introduction to the first book 'I offer them in a valedictory spirit, as a reminder of the contributions to literature of Mother Goods and her goslings'. The Second Virago Book of Fairy Tales is a wonderful gift to us all.