Karel Capek, author of the acclaimed "War with the Newts, " is one of the great Czechoslovak writers of the twentieth century. These fairy tales bear Capek's combination of the fantastic and the satirical, offering fairies, elves, and talking animals alongside references to detectives, secret police agents, luxury automobiles, and Hollywood starlets. Filled with the delight of language, dazzling wordplay, a sense of absurdity about the so-called adult world, and a deeply humane vision, these witty stories will appeal to readers of all ages.

Josef Capek (1887-1945) was one of Czech modernism's most formative protagonists. The artist first studied weaving before finding his metier as both a painter and designer. During a short stint in Paris, he befriended the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who was then the leading theorist of and driving force behind Cubism. Capek adopted the Cubist style, fusing it with moodier elements of Expressionism and Symbolism to create a uniquely Czech take on the style. Alongside his work as a painter, Capek designed several hundred book covers from 1918 until his death in 1945 for Czech publications of...