This is the first of the Penguin Little Clothbound Classics that I‘ve read and it won‘t be the last. I‘ve attended The Nutcracker many times but have, oddly, never read the story it is based on. I can say that I didn‘t enjoy the story as much as the ballet, but am still glad I read it. The other two stories in this book all deal with similar themes of imagination and seeing what isn‘t there/ghost stories.