The Green Fairy Book, the third in Andrew Lang's Coloured Fairy Book series, was originally published in 1892. The collections were specifically intended for children, and consequently edited for that end. When Andrew began publishing these books there were almost no English fairy tale books in circulation. The series proved of great influence in children's literature, and inspired a host of imitators.

The series also proved to be an inspiration to J.R. Tolken and his Middle-Earth collection of novels.