<DIV><B>The original stories behind everyone's favorite Christmas ballet</B><br><BR> It wasn't until the 1950s that seeing <I>The Nutcracker</I> at Christmastime became an American tradition. But the story itself is much older and its original intent more complex. This eye-opening new volume presents two of the tale's earliest versions, both in new translations: E.T.A. Hoffmann's <I>Nutcracker and Mouse King</I> (1816), in which a young girl is whisked away to the Land of Toys to help her animated nutcracker defeat the Mouse King, and Alexandre Dumas's 1845 adaptation, <I>The Tale of the Nutcracker</I>, based on Hoffmann's popular work. Irresistible tales of magic, mystery, and childhood adventure, these timeless delights and fresh interpretations about the importance of imagination will captivate readers of all ages.<BR><BR></DIV>