Bringing together one original story and three subsequent retellings, The Nutcracker Omnibus features the work of two influential storytellers-E.T.A Hoffman, who is recognized as a leading figure in German Romanticism and a pioneer of science fiction and fantasy; and Alexandre Dumas, who was one of the most universally read French authors and is known his extravagantly adventurous historical novels-as well as the renowned composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose work made him the first Russian composer to attract international acclaim; and a children's book author, O. Eliphaz Keat, whose only listed work is Princess Pirlipatine and the Nutcracker.

From a dark short story to a whimsical Christmastime fantasy and eventually a famous ballet, E.T.A. Hoffmann's original The Nutcracker and the Mouse King has continued to prevail through the ages. Follow the tale of a beloved Christmas toy and his battles against the evil Mouse King from origin, to retelling, to adaptation and translation.