The fairy tales Hans Christian Andersen wrote from 1835 until late in life, beginning with small booklets that held The Tinderbox, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, The Little Mermaid and The Emperor's New Clothes. Later came The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, The Little Match Girl and The Steadfast Tin Soldier: some comic, many sad, a few drawn from folk tales but most his own invention.