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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Giants threaten, imps bargain, and a quick wit may be the only thing standing between hunger and good fortune.
In English Fairy Tales, Joseph Jacobs gathers about forty folk stories full of magic, trickery and sudden danger. Jack faces giants and hard times with luck and cunning. A spinning girl bargains with Tom Tit Tot, an imp who guards his name. Molly Whuppie, the smallest of three sisters, must use her wits to protect her family.
Familiar tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs and Henny Penny sit beside stranger stories, including Childe Rowland and Binnorie. Talking animals, ghosts, clever girls and foolish husbands fill these brief adventures. The tales speak in plain, lively words, with repetitions that invite you to read them aloud and share their surprises.
What you’ll discover
- Wit against strength Meet bold characters who answer giants and hard times with cunning rather than muscle.
- A name kept secret Enter Tom Tit Tot’s bargain, where a spinning girl faces an imp with something to hide.
- Familiar tales with teeth Follow the three little pigs as a hungry wolf puts their houses to the test.
- Strangers worth meeting Discover Cap o’ Rushes, a daughter in disguise who longs for her worth to be known.
- Words that welcome listeners Enjoy short tales whose lively repetitions make sharing them aloud part of the pleasure.
Who will love it
This book is for parents and grandparents who like reading aloud, for lovers of folklore and old rhymes, and for anyone who enjoys giants, clever heroes, and a tale told by firelight.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- England has fairy tales to tell
- A secret gives a bargain power
- Foolishness turns worry into comedy
- Repeated requests make a listening game
- Jack mixes quick thinking with folly
- Kindness stands against envy and cruelty
- Shared fear carries a warning
- Wonder stays close to ordinary life
- The tales live through shared voices
Who’s who
- Tom Tit TotA small black imp with a twirling tail, who spins flax for a frightened girl in exchange for her guessing his name.
- JackThe quick-witted, often foolish boy of many tales, who climbs a beanstalk and sets out to seek his fortune.
- Molly WhuppieThe cleverest of three lost sisters, who steals a giant's sword, purse, and ring and escapes over the Bridge of one hair.
- Childe RowlandThe youngest brother, who sets out for the Dark Tower of Elfland to rescue his sister Burd Ellen, following Merlin's two rules.
- Lady MaryA brave young woman who goes to visit the castle of her suitor, Mr. Fox, and finds more than she expected.
- Dick WhittingtonA poor orphan boy who comes to London hoping to find gold in the streets and sends his cat to sea.
- Kate CrackernutsA queen's daughter who takes her sister, cursed with a sheep's head, to seek their fortunes and keeps watch over a sick prince.
- Mr. VinegarA man who lives in a vinegar bottle and trades forty guineas for a poorer thing each time he is sure he will be happy.
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English Fairy Tales
by Joseph Jacobs (compiler) · 1890
A girl must guess an imp's name within a month or belong to him, and that is only the first tale.
Easy read2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“Yes, said Jack. The more, the merrier.”
In short
A girl eats five pies, and a king hears her mother sing that she has spun five skeins. He marries her on one condition: in the last month she must spin five skeins a day or lose her head.
English Fairy Tales at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 55 min3 h 10 min fast, 4 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 56,300 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1890by Joseph Jacobs (compiler)
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Jacobs sets out to prove England has fairy tales
Joseph Jacobs opens with a challenge. He answers the claim that England has no fairy tales by saying he has found traces of about one hundred and forty, and that many more must exist.
He points to France and Italy. Folk tales were said to be missing there until about 1870, yet within fifteen years more than one thousand had been collected in each country. Jacobs hopes for the same here.
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Details
- First published
- 1890
- Language
- English
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
English Fairy Tales. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/english-fairy-tales.
English fairy tales. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/english-fairy-tales (Original work published 1890)
English Fairy Tales. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/english-fairy-tales.
@book{anonymous2026english,
title = {English Fairy Tales},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/english-fairy-tales},
note = {First published 1890}
}
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What is English Fairy Tales about?
It is a collection of about forty folk tales retold by Joseph Jacobs. They feature giants, ogres, stepmothers, fools, talking animals, and clever young heroes, all told in plain speech that is easy to follow by ear.
Who wrote English Fairy Tales and when?
Joseph Jacobs compiled and retold the tales in the 1890s. He wanted to show that England had a rich store of folk tales like France or Italy, and he wrote them in simple language for children.
Are the stories in English Fairy Tales true or old?
They are old folk tales passed on by speech and song. Jacobs says about a dozen can be traced to the sixteenth century, and two are quoted by Shakespeare. Some also exist as ballads.
The author
Joseph Jacobs
1854–1916 · Australian folklorist and historian
Joseph Jacobs was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1854. He moved to England in 1872 and to the United States in 1900. He was a folklorist, historian, and writer. He published English Fairy Tales in 1890 and More English Fairy Tales in 1894. He died in Yonkers, New York, in 1916.
“Yes, said Jack. The more, the merrier.”
More by Joseph Jacobs (compiler)
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