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Jack the Giant Killer
The story of Jack, the intrepid boy whose courage and ingenuity defeated a host of many-headed giants, has been told to children for hundreds of years. In 1842, when he was just 18, Richard Doyle, whose natural talent for draftsmanship was matched by imaginative invention and a passion for legend and the grotesque, created a picture-book version of Jack the Giant Killer , with hand-written text and a watercolor within a pictorial border decorating every page. It has remained one of the most beloved versions of this timeless tale.In this new Everyman's edition, Doyle's vivid, wonderfully engaging illustrations have been enlarged and the text has been given greater legibility. It is a book that will satisfy both the child's delight in scariness, wonder, and magic, and the collector's pleasure in classic Victorian illustration.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1850
7 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Richard Doyle
158 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Richard "Dickie" Doyle (September 1824 –11 December 1883) was a notable illustrator of the Victorian era. His work frequently appeared, amongst other places, in Punch magazine; he drew the cover of the first issue, and designed the magazine's masthead, a design that was used for over a century.
Born at 17 Cambridge Terrace, London, one of seven children of Irish cartoonist John Doyle (known as 'H.B'), a noted political caricaturist, two of his brothers, James and Charles, were also artists. The young Doyle had no formal art training other than his father's studio, but from an early age displayed a gifted ability to depict scenes of the fantastic and grotesque. Throughout his life he was fascinated by fairy tales. He produced his first complete illustrated book, Home for the Holidays, when he was 12; it was published posthumously in 1887.
He joined the staff of Punch in 1843 aged 19, remaining there for seven years. His iconic cover for the Punch magazine was used for many years after his death.
He produced 11 books of his own between 1840 and 1887, his last five being published posthumously, as well as illustrating many for other authors including Thackeray, Mark Lemon and Ruskin.
He exhibited regularly at the Grosvenour Galleries and also at the Royal Academy in 1868 and 1871.
He was the uncle of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
Richard "Dickie" Doyle (September 1824 –11 December 1883) was a notable illustrator of the Victorian era. His work frequently appeared, amongst other places, in Punch magazine; he drew the cover of the first issue, and designed the magazine's masthead, a design that was used for over a century.
Born at 17 Cambridge Terrace, London, one of seven children of Irish cartoonist John Doyle (known as 'H.B'), a noted political caricaturist, two of his brothers, James and Charles, were also artists. The young Doyle had no formal art training other than his father's studio, but from an early age displayed a gifted ability to depict scenes of the fantastic and grotesque. Throughout his life he was fascinated by fairy tales. He produced his first complete illustrated book, Home for the Holidays, when he was 12; it was published posthumously in 1887.
He joined the staff of Punch in 1843 aged 19, remaining there for seven years. His iconic cover for the Punch magazine was used for many years after his death.
He produced 11 books of his own between 1840 and 1887, his last five being published posthumously, as well as illustrating many for other authors including Thackeray, Mark Lemon and Ruskin.
He exhibited regularly at the Grosvenour Galleries and also at the Royal Academy in 1868 and 1871.
He was the uncle of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 17, 2016
Okay I will admit that I have let things slip a little the last few days but this is my way of trying to get back in to things (so apologies one and all).
This is part of the Everymans Library of Children's classics, a series of beautifully bound books containing some of the most famous and iconic children's stories through the years. I will admit I didn't realise how many there were until I stumbled across a copy of the Secret Garden and then I was well to be honest enchanted.
Before I got in to reading properly (more like passionately) I remember being force to read many a book school. As you would expect many of them were children's classics which at the time I didn't really take to. Now years later I realise how much these stories have affected me and the literary landscape around me and I cannot resist reading them again, this time with older eyes.
So as way of something different I decided to try Jack the Giant Killer. Now I knew the name, I thought I knew the story but I was wrong. The story is quite blood thirsty and not as I expected and yet there are flashes of familiarity. In fact even though nothing like it I can see where the inspiration of some of the events in the film of the same name came from and where later stories have been subtly influenced and inspired by, after all this story was written in the 1840s.
So yes I will be looking out for other titles in this series while I still can, an education through historic children's stories and beautiful books on the shelf.
This is part of the Everymans Library of Children's classics, a series of beautifully bound books containing some of the most famous and iconic children's stories through the years. I will admit I didn't realise how many there were until I stumbled across a copy of the Secret Garden and then I was well to be honest enchanted.
Before I got in to reading properly (more like passionately) I remember being force to read many a book school. As you would expect many of them were children's classics which at the time I didn't really take to. Now years later I realise how much these stories have affected me and the literary landscape around me and I cannot resist reading them again, this time with older eyes.
So as way of something different I decided to try Jack the Giant Killer. Now I knew the name, I thought I knew the story but I was wrong. The story is quite blood thirsty and not as I expected and yet there are flashes of familiarity. In fact even though nothing like it I can see where the inspiration of some of the events in the film of the same name came from and where later stories have been subtly influenced and inspired by, after all this story was written in the 1840s.
So yes I will be looking out for other titles in this series while I still can, an education through historic children's stories and beautiful books on the shelf.
January 2, 2017
Set in Arthurian England, this book follows Jack the Giant Killer as he outwits giants and acts as a matchmaker for Arthur's only son. The humor in this book was great and I look forward to reading more stories with Jack. I've already read This is the House that Jack Built, I'll try Jack and the Beanstalk next.
December 22, 2012
my favorite response to this book is "Inappropriate for children because of all the killing and death." you picked up a book called Jack the Giant KILLER not Jack the Giant thumb wrestler. honestly! i think kids would love this book, because jack is valiant and clever in his endeavors.
March 22, 2018
There is a very good reason this is a classic.
December 3, 2016
Escrito em 1842 e publicado apenas em 1888, é considerado um clássico infantil. Não é uma obra muito profunda como Winnie the Pooh ou Charlotte's web. De leitura rápida e leve, é uma boa distração, embora a matança me faça pensar no tipo de entretenimento que as crianças dessa época tinham... heheh. Curiosidade: o livro não foi feito para ser publicado. Os filhos do autor encontraram os manuscritos (inclusive gravuras) que o pai tinha feito décadas antes para sua própria diversão e decidiram publicar após sua morte.
October 8, 2013
I found that the perfect book for my youngest is between 70-150 pages with language for 10 up but with pictures on almost every page. It's hard to find. This book fit those perimeters and he loved it. I, too, enjoyed the illustrations. I'm going to look for more of these Everyman's Library Children's Classics books.
February 1, 2009
Hank and I just finished reading this together, and we really enjoyed it. Jack uses his wit to outsmart the giants, and so it's rather clever. The illustrations for this particular edition were amazing. I will warn you that it is very violent, a lot of giants lose their heads.
February 10, 2017
The victorian illustrations are funny and strange at the same time, but this editon have some problems with the images. For example, one of them, on page 49, is very pixelated. The story is full of violence, but overall this is a "dark faily tale" worth reading.
January 18, 2010
Haha this book is really violent. Jack kills a lot of giants.
August 30, 2018
Jack runs around killing giants, using his cleverness, courage, and magic cloak and sword. Doyle is retelling old folk tales here, and some remind me of Thor's clever helper Thialfi. Doyle's prose is unobjectionable but nothing special. Read it for his wonderful illustrations - full of personality and humor, sometimes gruesome, always entertaining.
November 3, 2025
I enjoyed reading this with my son.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews