Gypsy Folk Tales

by John Sampson (Editor)

Gathers traditional stories of beggars, travellers, giants, dragons, enchanted castles, fairies, and ogres

Genres: Folk Tales

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1933

Reviews

[Katie]

Amusing short tales with a grim undercurrent that reminds me of the Canterbury Tales and the original fairytales - less about morals, and more perplexing but nonetheless fascinating stories about magical lands. These certainly have a trademark stamp of the oral tradition in the way they're written: changing from past to present tense frequently, jumping from one plot to a completely unrelated one, and referencing the hero each time as "Jack" with the assumption you'll know which brother they're referring to (always the youngest). I liked how there was "an old witch in a cottage in the woods" somewhere in most of the stories. Helpful "research" for my story and a fun quick read.

[Justin Labelle]

Jack may be heroic, deceitful and bumbling but he’s always entertaining.
The stories have evil brothers, witches, giants, trolls, cruel kings and dragons.
This is fun, light stuff with a dark humorous nearly satirical take on the act of storytelling itself.
‘Now that I’m done, give me a pudding’