Everything which had been done in this world he could read about, and see represented in splendid pictures. He could give a description of every people and every country; but--where was the Garden of Paradise?--of that he could not learn one word; and that it was of which he thought most. His grandmother had told him, when he was quite a little boy, and first began to go to school, that every flower in the Garden of Paradise was the most delicious cake; one was history, another geography, a third, tables, and it was only needful to eat one of these cakes, and so the lesson was learned; and the more was eaten of them, the better acquainted they were with history, geography, and tables. At that time he believed all this; but when he grew a bigger boy, and had learned more, and was wiser, he was quite sure that there must be some other very different delight in this Garden of Paradise. "Oh! why did Eve gather of the tree of knowledge? why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit? If it haa been me, I never would have done so! If it had been me, sin should never have entered into the world!" So said he, many a time, when he was young; so said he when he was much older! The Garden bf Paradise filled his whole thoughts. One day he went into the wood; he went alone, for that was his greatest delight. The evening came. The clouds drew together; it began to rain as if the whole heavens were one single sluice, of which the gate was open; it was quite dark, or like night in the deepest well. Now, he slipped in the wet grass; now, he stumbled over the bare stones, which were scattered over the rocky ground. Everything streamed with water; not a dry thread remained upon the prince.Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet, most famous for his fairy tales. Among his best-known stories are "The Little Mermaid", "Thumbelina" and "The Ugly Duckling". During Andersen's lifetime he was feted by royalty and acclaimed for having brought great enjoyment to a whole generation of children throughout Europe. His fairy tales have been translated into more than 150 languages and they continue to be published in millions of copies all over the world. His fairy tales have inspired the creation of numerous films, theatre plays, ballets and film animations.During 1835 Andersen published the first instalment of his immortal Fairy Tales with many more stories, completing the first volume, were published throughout 1836 and 1837, although the quality of these stories was not immediately recognised, and they sold poorly. At the same time, Andersen enjoyed more success with two novels: O.T. and Only a Fiddler. In the English-speaking world, many of these stories remain popular and are widely read.