''A Book of Giants'' is a 1963 anthology of 13

fairy tales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...

from Europe that have been collected and retold by

Ruth Manning-Sanders Ruth Manning-Sanders (21 August 1886 – 12 October 1988) was an English poet and author born in Wales, known for a series of children's books for which she collected and related fairy tales worldwide. She published over 90 books in her lifetime ...

. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders. It was the first anthology to receive the familiar "A Book of..." title that Manning-Sanders would become notable for. This book was first published in the United Kingdom in 1962, by Methuen & Co. Ltd. It has been used in schools as a study aid. Some of the tales from this book are also included in ''

A Choice of Magic ''A Choice of Magic'' is a 1971 anthology of 32 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. In fact, the book is mostly a collection of tales published in previous Manning-Sanders anthologies. ...

'' (1971) by Manning-Sanders. And some of the tales from this book are included in '' Folk and Fairy Tales'' (1978) by Manning-Sanders. And in the foreword, Manning-Sanders discusses the long-ago roots of tales about

giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

: "The stories in this book are very old, and they come from many countries. We don't know who first told the story of

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Cole ...

; but it has always been a favourite, and it used to be hawked around England in those little stitched-together pamphlets, called

chapbooks A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch. In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered booklet ...

, which travelling pedlars sold to the countryfolk for a penny or two each." The author adds: "You will notice that the giants, wherever they come from, have one thing in common: they are all very stupid, and the way to overcome them is to use your wits."

*1.

(England) *2. The Giant and the Dwarf (

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

) *3. Fin M'Coul and Cucullin (Ireland) *4. Sneezy Snatcher and Sammy Small (

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

) *5. Hans, the Horn, and the Magic Sword (

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

) *6.

Jack the Giant-Killer "Jack the Giant Killer" is a Cornish fairy tale and legend about a young adult who slays a number of bad giants during King Arthur's reign. The tale is characterised by violence, gore and blood-letting. Giants are prominent in Cornish folklore, ...

(

) :i. Jack and the Giant

Cormoran Cormoran ( or ) is a giant associated with St. Michael's Mount in the folklore of Cornwall. Local tradition credits him with creating the island, in some versions with the aid of his wife Cormelian, and using it as a base to raid cattle from th ...

:ii. Jack and the Giant Tantarem :iii. Jack and the Welsh Giant :iv. Jack, the King of England's Son, and the Giant with Three Heads :v. Jack and the Giant

Thunderdell Thunderdell ( cy, Taranau), also recorded as Thunderdel, Thunderel, Thundrel, Thunderdale, or Thunderbore, was a two-headed giant of Cornwall slain by Jack the Giant-Killer in the stories of Tabart and others. Jeff Rovin's ''The Encyclopedia of ...

:vi. Jack, the Giant Galligantua, and the Enchanter *7. King Johnny ( Slavic) *8.

Conall Yellowclaw Conall Cra Bhuidhe or Conall Yellowclaw is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in ''Popular Tales of the West Highlands''. Origin Campbell lists his informant as James Wilson, blind fiddler in Islay. Synopsis Conall Cra Bhui ...

(Ireland and Scotland) *9. The Giant in the Cave (Ireland and Scotland) *10.

The Brave Little Tailor "The Brave Little Tailor" or "The Valiant Little Tailor" or "The Gallant Tailor" (German: ''Das tapfere Schneiderlein'') is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 20). "The Brave Little Tailor" is a story of Aarne–Thompson T ...

(Germany) *11.

The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe. George MacDonald retold it as "The Giant's Heart" in ''Adela Cathcart''. A version of the tale also appears in '' A Book of Giants'' by Ruth Manning ...

( Norse) *12. The Three Golden Hairs of the King of the Cave Giants (Germany) *13. Prince Loaf (Romania)

Reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' gave ''A Book of Giants'' a kirkus star and wrote "Miss Manning-Sanders narrates these old legends in a direct language..." and "In his fine-lined drawings, Robin Jacques has built up a good contrast between the large and the small and has captured the essence of giantdom with a light touch." ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' found "A splendid jacket by Robin Jacques at once invites the eye. Of course, myths have almost always been unfair to giants: still, we could not separate them from nursery lore, especially when, as in several of these tales, they are merely kindly, stupid fellows, easily outwitted (but not slain) by some sharp little dwarf. Though some are from local sources, others are from as far afield as Russian Georgia or Jutland. But are they so different?"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Book Of Giants 1962 short story collections 1962 children's books Collections of fairy tales Children's short story collections British children's books British short story collections European fairy tales Fiction about giants 1962 anthologies

Table of contents

Reception

See also

References