Hans Christian Andersen (2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was born in the quiet provincial town of Odense in Denmark. As a boy, he was fascinated by stories and would often go to listen to the old women in the workhouse telling the traditional tales that had been handed down over the years by word of mouth.
Although now best known for his stained glass work, Harry Clarke (1889-1931) first found fame as a book illustrator. His edition of The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen was followed by illustrated editions of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination, The Years at the Spring, Charles Perrault's Fairy Tales of Perrault, and Goethe's Faust.