Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, the son of a shoemaker. His early life was wretched, but he was adopted by a patron and became a short-story writer, novelist and playwright, though he remains best-known for his magical fairy tales which were published between 1835 and 1872. For 150 years his stories have been delighting both adults and children. Packed with a light-hearted whimsy combined with a mature wisdom they are as entrancing as ever. Here are all of Andersen`s 168 tales, and among the favourites are `The Red Shoes`, `The Mermaid`, `The Real Princess`, `The Emperor`s New Clothes`, The Tinder Box` and of course `The Ugly Duckling`.