A Book of Giants

A Book of Giants

Methuen & Co. Ltd. (UK) E. P. Dutton (US)
Publication date	1962 (UK) 1963 (US)
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	125 pp

A Book of Giants is a 1963 anthology of 13

. 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

Some of the tales from this book are also included in A Choice of Magic (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

, 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."

Table of contents

• 1. Jack and the Beanstalk (England)
• 2. The Giant and the Dwarf (Georgia)
• 3. Fin M'Coul and Cucullin (Ireland)
• 4. Sneezy Snatcher and Sammy Small (Cornwall)
• 5. Hans, the Horn, and the Magic Sword (Jutland)
• 6.
  Jack the Giant-Killer (Cornwall
  )

i. Jack and the Giant Cormoran

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

vi. Jack, the Giant

Galligantua

, and the Enchanter

• 7.
  Slavic
  )
• 8.
  Conall Yellowclaw
  (Ireland and Scotland)
• 9. The Giant in the Cave (Ireland and Scotland)
• 10.
  The Brave Little Tailor
  (Germany)
• 11. The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body (Norse)
• 12. The Three Golden Hairs of the King of the Cave Giants (Germany)
• 13. Prince Loaf (Romania)

Reception

Kirkus Reviews 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."^[2] The Observer 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?"^[3]

See also

• Giant (mythology)

References