English Fairy Tales

Joseph Jacobs (1854–1916)  was an Australian folklorist, translator, literary critic, social scientist, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore. He published his English fairy tale collections: English Fairy Tales in 1890 and More English Fairy Tales in 1893 but also went on after and in between both books to publish fairy tales collected from continental Europe as well as Jewish, Celtic and Indian fairytales which made him one of the most popular writers of fairytales for the English language. The author himself states that it was his intention to create a book in which the stories would sound as if they were being narrated by an old nurse or grandmother. Hence, the style is simple, direct and like he states, meant to be read aloud and not visually. The original edition also included extensive notes on the source from which he collected the stories and reference material which is of great interest to folk-lore enthusiasts.