My copy has a different cover, from the Vintage Classics collection.

From Amazon.com:
Angela Carter wields a deliciously decadent pen once again in The Bloody Chamber. This slim volume is packed with familiar tales retold with a dark gothic twist, each tempered with a saucy wit and the ability to impart new meaning onto old standards. Heroines are erotic, independant and canny, and their victories contain a bite, an edge that places these tales outside the traditional happy ending. Stories are beautifully overblown and hyperreal. The Bloody Chamber is stunning in its delicacy and sly, subtle humour that tempers even the darkest tale. This world is very female , where the instigators of action and solvers of perilous events are mothers, daughters, wives and wild girls. Carter's work is too beautiful to describe - she needs to be read again and again, and each time, a new shade can be seen to her impressive legacy. She is an addictive read.

This is a collection of fairy tales that most people would be familiar with, but don't be fooled into thinking this is your usual Disney fare. These traditional stories have been retold with Carter's own dark and unique take on them, and she infuses them with eroticism and violence -- you definitely won't find bluebirds bursting into merry song here. I can see why The Bloody Chamber is studied extensively in literature courses as these stories are full of symbolism and cultural references. This was a very evocative and rewarding read, and I'm sure more will be discovered with subsequent readings (I really feel I ought to be studying this!). My favourites from this collection were: The Bloody Chamber; The Snow Child; and The Werewolf.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

KK pressie for Melbourne Xmas brunch meet-up. To whomever that picks this up, have a merry Christmas and a happy new year! :)

Received as a kk book - thanks leeny! Really looking forward to reading this.