MORE CELTIC FAIRY TALES: 20 Celtic tales from the isles of Erin and Alba

Various

Nov 2009 · Abela Publishing Ltd

About this ebook

In this volume Joseph Jacobs has proceeded on much the same lines as those which he laid down in compiling "Celtic Fairy Tales." In making his selection he attempted to select the tales common both to Erin and Alba. He included, as specimen of the Irish medi- eval hero tales, one of the three sorrowful tales of Erin: "The Tale of the Children of Lir." For the "drolls," or "comic relief," of the volume, he drew upon the inexhaustible Kennedy and the great J. F. Campbell, who still stands out as the most prominent figure in the history of the Celtic Fairy Tale. Jacobs attempted to do what the brothers Grimm did for Germany, so far as that was possible. In Jacob's own words "The Celtic materials are so rich that it would tax the resources of a whole clan of Grimms to exhaust the field." In this volume you will find 20 Celtic tales of Jack the Cunning Thief, Paddy o'Kelly and the Weasel, the Dream of Owen O'Mulready, The Farmer of Liddesdale, The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener, Elidore, the Ridere of Riddles and more. In Jacobs' own words, "The Celts went forth to battle, but they always fell. Yet the captive Celt has enslaved his captor in the realm of imagination." In an attempt to give a library of the Celts' wealthy imagination to his readers, Jacobs has attempted to begin the readers' captivity with the earliest recordings of these tales. And captivate he does-More Celtic Fairy Tales not only preserves a cultural history, but is also richly entertaining. We invite you to curl up with this unique sliver of Celtic folklore not seen in print for over a century; immerse yourself in the tales and fables not heard in homes for many a year. A percentage of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to the Prince's Trust for their work with youth across the United Kingdom.

About the author

JOSEPH JACOBS (29 August 1854 – 30 January 1916) was an Australian folklorist, literary critic, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore. His work went on to popularize some of the world's best known versions of English fairy tales including Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the three bears, The Three Little Pigs, Jack the Giant Killer and The History of Tom Thumb. After moving to England, he published his English fairy tale collections: English Fairy Tales in 1890 and More English Fairytales in 1894 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.