If you've ever wondered if the fairy tales and nursery rhymes you grew up on have any basis in reality, this book holds the answers you seek. Included in this collection are the real-life events that inspired the exploits of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Little Jack Horner, Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Quite Contrary and Bluebeard, to name only a few. So, if you're looking for the grain of truth hidden within these and other fantastic tales, you've come to the right place. Be prepared, however, to learn that a surprising number of these heartwarming adventures did not originate in a place of light but were instead born of the darkness.