The first edition, released on 28 January 1939, consisted of 14 stories,[1][2] based on the oral lore of the miners and gold prospectors.
A young factory worker named Stepan meets the legendary Mistress of the Copper Mountain, the patroness of miners.
A rich, promiscuous woman gets interested in a young worker named Mark, who is already married to Tatyana.
A talented stone-craftsman, Danilo, finds out about the beautiful Stone Flower that grows in the domain of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain.
After Danilo the Craftsman leaves the village for the Mistress of the Copper Mountain's domain, Katyenka, his betrothed, moves in into his former house.
A daring hunter, Ailyp, snatches his ladylove Golden Hair away from her father, Poloz the Great Snake.
The Earth Cat, a creature with fiery ears that lives in the sands where copper mixes with gold, doesn't harm people, but wolves are afraid of it.
One day he decides to make a tree branch from inexpensive stone (mostly serpentine), drawing inspiration from a gooseberry bush.
The landlord feels offended that the serpentine would touch his daughter and steps on the twig, crushing it to dust.
The smiling maiden Veselukha, who can be found on the blossoming meadow, can treat the miner to a glass of wine and help the master with a beautiful pattern.