Everyone is familiar with the tale: a man marries a woman, and she transforms into a crane. Or a seal. Or a bear. Or a woman marries a beast, who transforms into a man; or a man who transforms into a beast. Tales of shapeshifting animal spouses have long been a staple of folklore around the world.

In this collection, fantasy and fairy tale scholar Jennifer Pullen selects fourteen classic tales that explore the boundary between the human and the beastly, showing how their telling and retelling reflects a constant longing for–and terror of–what seems to be “other.”