"Old Peter's Russian Tales" by Arthur Ransome is a collection of Russian folk tales published in 1916. Written in the forest hut of Old Peter the forester, these stories transport readers into the world of Russian peasant folklore. Two orphaned children, Maroosia and Vanya, gather by the fireside to hear their grandfather's enchanting tales—twenty narratives including "The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship." Ransome retells these traditional stories in his own words, creating an enduring classic that bridges Russian folklore and English childhood imagination.