Note: This is a story, presumably written by editor Montalba; pp. 1-8 in the 1st ed. (viewed as Project Gutenberg transcript), pp. 13-19 in the US ed. (viewed at HathiTrust). The brief Preface is an essay, "The time has been, but happily exists no longer, when it would have been necessary to offer an apology for such a book as this. ...". It closes with acknowledgment of "Mr. Richard Doyle's admirable Illustrations."

Synopsis: "When Nursery Tales and entertaining stories did not yet exist--and those were dull times for children, for then their youthful paradise wanted its gayest butterfly--there lived two royal children, a brother and sister. ..." The children are discontented but don't know what the want. The queen cannot imagine what, nor remember it from childhood, and wishes for a bird of paradise to bring it. The Fairy Tale is literally a being born from an egg.