Classic fairy tales start with ”once upon a time” and end with “happily ever after.”

Most of us here in the U.S. are familiar with the Cinderella story that includes glass slippers and turning into pumpkins. But, there are at least 300 versions of Cinderella that have been told around the world. If you’re looking for a contentious field of study, the origin of fairy tales ranks right up there.

Ruth Bottigheimer is the author of “Fairy Tales: A New History.” She traces classics like Cinderella to Renaissance Europe and an Italian writer from Naples, named Giambattista Basile.