The first collection of the seminal Folk-Tales had appeared ca. 30 years previously and was finished with the second expanded edition from 1852, which increased the number of fairy tales to 60. Here, we have the seminal continuation that completes the collection with the 45 additional tales (nrs. 61-105).

As Asbjørnsen states in the preface, “There has been big appeal for the continuation of the material gathered back then, but for several years, other pursuits and chores have required so much time that there was none left to contemplate a more complete collection. My former co-publisher, Jørgen Moe, finally gave up and has given to me free disposition of his collections, which contained many valuable contributions… Only now I could begin thinking about fulfilling the work, t now presented in the present collection of Fairy Tales, on my own. Most of these Fairy Tales have… been printed in almanachs etc., but here they appear in a mostly completely rewritten and purified form. – A few of them have not previously been printed.” (Preface pp. III-IV – own translation from Norwegian).

It was a great event in Norwegian intellectual life when Peter Chiristen Asbjørnsen (1812-1885) together with Jørgen Moe (1813-1882) began collecting and later publishing the Norwegian fairy tales in the beginning of the 1840’ies.

The genre of fairy tales was centuries old and had survived through oral tradition. But the fairy tales had never been of any serious interest in intellectual circles or been of any particular influence in literature, until the dawn of national romanticism. Asbjørnsen’s pioneering efforts to collect, register, and publish  the Norwegian legends and fairy tales that had otherwise only survived in oral form, constituted a revolution in Norwegian literature and language. These seminal publications are a fundamental part of Norwegian heritage and a great national treasure.

The publications of the fairy tales constituted an outright revolution in not only Norwegian, but also international literature, just as those of the Brothers Grimm in Germany had done. International recognition was overwhelming, and suddenly, Norwegian fair tales were considered among the best in the world.

“Tell them like the people tell them” was the principle for the retelling of the stories. Moe was excellent at that, whereas Asbjørnsen had a superb epic talent. Asbjørnsen’s publications count as great literature in themselves and were extremely influential.   

The publication of the fairy tales and stories were extremely influential, not only upon literature in itself, but also more specifically upon the Norwegian language, also that of contemporary literature, directly influencing eg. Ibsen and Bjørnson. Asbjørnsen and Moe are responsible for the Norwegiazasion of the written language (which was hitherto Danish), utilizing specifically Norwegian expressions and words never before used in writing, to replace the Danish. These seminal fairy tales fundamentally effected the development of written Norwegian and founded the Norwegian softening of the Danish language.

Presentation-inscriptions from Asbjørnsen are of the utmost scarcity and almost never appear on the market.

Østberg: 51