In 1970 Katharine Briggs published in four volumes the vast and authoritative <EM>Dictionary of British Folktales and Legends</EM> to wide acclaim. This sampler comprises the very best of those tales and legends. Gathered within, readers will find an extravagance of beautiful princesses and stout stable boys, sour-faced witches and kings with hearts of gold. Each tale is a masterpiece of storytelling, from the hilarious ''Three Sillies'' to the delightfully macabre ''Sammle''s Ghost''.