Please help me find this childhood book!

5 replies

cmp87 · 12/04/2025 22:47

Does anyone remember this book - I think it would have been published either at the very end of the 80s but more likely early 90s up until 1993 judging by my age. It was a collection of stories/fairytales and I remember being absolutely captivated by it but all my google research has come to nothing.

Stories within it:

Nail soup - I definitely remember this one
something to do with a flying/magic carpet
Cap o' rushes - about the king and his daughters and the importance of salt
Pied piper, rumpelstiltskin - these are maybes

I know it had a very beautiful and elaborate cover and it was a hardback. Sometimes I think it had a 5 in the title - (?stories for 5 year olds ?50 stories) but the memories are too vague. Would be amazing if one of you remembered it!

OP posts:

suchafunnybear · 12/04/2025 22:56

Could it have been one of the Andrew Lang colour fairy books?

I had several of those and I'm pretty certain everything you've mentioned was in them.

Weirdly the salt story popped into my head just this morning, having not thought about it for years.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 12/04/2025 23:10

Apparently both Nail Soup and Cap O Rushes are in this book with 50 in the title: https://archive.org/details/50bedtimestories0000thom Published 2009 but perhaps there was a previous version?

Also in this one from 1993 although the title doesn’t have a 5: https://archive.org/details/traditionalstori0000unse_h8t0/page/n4/mode/1up

50 bedtime stories : Thomas, Tig : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Bold lads and brave girls. Jack the cunning thief ; The fish and the ring ; Cap o' rushes ; The four clever brothers ; Tattercoats ; The clever apprentice ;...

https://archive.org/details/50bedtimestories0000thom

Original poster

cmp87 · 12/04/2025 23:27

Oh my goodness MolkosTeenageAngst you've done it! It's the second one from 1993 - I've just been looking through and I'm reading stories that I've completely forgetten in the last 30 years and more tellingly recognising the pictures, which feels quite surreal. Thank you so much! Thanks suchafunnybear too for your help. Can't believe how quickly the powers of mumsnet have worked!

OP posts:

MolkosTeenageAngst · 13/04/2025 07:53

Oh that’s fab, really pleased that it was one of the books! Love how memories work too and that you’re recognising the pictures and the stories you had long forgotten. Happy reading!

TimeForTeaAndToast · 13/04/2025 10:37

We had 50 Bedtime Stories which we read to our kids. I think I bought it at The Works.

Flip