Cover of The Popular Story of Blue Beard

The Popular Story of Blue Beard

by Charles Perrault

Reading level
Fairly demanding
Price
Free

About the book

"The Popular Story of Blue Beard" by Charles Perrault is a French folktale first published in 1697. The story follows a wealthy nobleman with a dark secret: his previous wives have all mysteriously vanished. When his new bride discovers a forbidden underground chamber filled with horrifying evidence of his crimes, she must find a way to escape his murderous wrath. This notorious tale has become so influential that "Bluebeard" itself entered the dictionary as a term for a serial wife-killer.

  • Fairy tales
  • Bluebeard (Legendary character)
  • Curiosity

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #43457. The Popular Story of Blue Beard on Wikipedia.

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