These stories, first told by Oscar Wilde at dinner parties, were originally published in two volumes titled Stories for Children. When asked directly if such intricate stories in the second volume as "The Fisherman and His Soul" were intended for children, Wilde replied, "I had about as much intention of pleasing the British child as I did of pleasing the British public."That disclaimer aside, there is much for adults to like in these deceptively simple tales, which only recently have begun to receive their due as serious literature.