The story contains many of the elements of the classic fairy tale - the offended guest at a birthday celebration, the perilous journey to retrieve the object (in this case, the magic nut) that can save the injured princess, the hero's trials and temptations, the competition of suitors seeking the princess' hand and thereby the kingdom - but, in typical Hoffman style, the anticipated happy ending is ultimately postponed - until the story continues in the Tchaikovsky ballet. The book leads the reader through the ballet, scene by scene, with detailed sketches of the sets, costumes, masks, and props created for the production. The authors of the production - Mihail Chemiakin, composer Sergei Slonimsky, and choreographer Donvena Pandoursky - describe their intentions in introductory texts.
來源: Google Book