Andrew Lang's 12 Coloured Fairy Books are some of his best known works. In The Grey Fairy Book , the sixth in the series, Land includes thirty-five stories, many from oral traditions, and others from French, German and Italian collections. In the Preface to the third volume, Lang expressed the view that it would be "probably the last" of the collection. Their continuing popularity, however, demanded a further 6 collections after this one.