Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. Its first published
version was written by French author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
in the middle 18th century. It was a novel-length story intended for adult
readers and addressing the issues of the marriage system of the day in
which women had no right to choose their husband or to refuse to marry. The
best-known version of the tale appeared sixteen years later. Jeanne-Marie
Le Prince de Beaumont simplified and shortened the Villeneuve's work and
published it in a magazine for young ladies. The new abridged version
became more successful, and Madame de Beaumont is regarded now as the
author of the classic story. This edition includes remarkable illustrations
by Walter Crane. Crane's work in children's books in cooperation with the
publisher Edmund Evans earned him worldwide fame in the late 19th century.