(I've posted this on other forums before with no success)
So, there's a book I'm trying to track down. Searching for it on-line is pretty fruitless and frustrating, as it's a collection of fairy tales and there are sooo many different ones in print. Anyways, I thought that I would just describe it and maybe someone is familiar with it. This specific one would have been purchased in the southeastern US although I imagine it was available elsewhere as well. I grew up with it but it's somewhat tricky to date it. I don't think that it was bought for me, the oldest child. I think its something my mom got as a teacher before I was born. It was a hardcover book about the height/size of a college textbook. The cover also had that shiny/laminated look like textbooks have (no dust jacket). The book itself was several inches thick, although I don't remember exactly how many pages it had but it was illustrated throughout. The front and back covers were illustrated and the predominant color was green. I believe the illustration was Hansel and Gretel, although it might have also featured other characters from the stories in the book. I think I remember Iron John being in the scene. It doesn't have cute bunnies and other woodland creatures, haha. I believe the book was from the 1970s or perhaps early 1980s because its watercolor illustrations seemed to have that kind of "feel." I have several childrens books from the 1970s and 1980s because of mom being a teacher and they definitely have a certain "look" to them. As for the stories inside, I remember that the first one was "Iron John." Some other stories included Hansel and Gretel, The Youth Who Could Not Shiver and Shake, and The Three Feathers, Snow White and Rose Red (among others). I can't remember the actual title of the book either, although I'm pretty sure it was all Grimm's Fairy tales.
Anyways, like I said it was was my mom's and I think she took it to school with her when she started back teaching again. When she quit teaching a few years ago she just left everything behind because she was so ready to be done with the place (she is the opposite of me and my slight tendency to become a pack rat/too attached to objects).
So, if anyone recognizes this book try to hook me up with the ISBN or at least the title and illustrator. Thanks a ton! I have other books with the same stories but I really miss those illustrations!