Joseph Jacobs

Joseph Jacobs (1854–1916) was an esteemed English literary scholar and author of some of the most influential books related to the study of British and Irish folktales. Born in Australia, Jacobs was educated in England and studied under noted anthropologists and folklorists such as Francis Child. Most of his books are collections of folktales and folkloric stories, and he is credited with being one of the most prolific scholars of his time.

The son of a fur seller, Jacobs' formal education was limited. After arriving in England, he attended night classes at King's College London, where he studied mathematics, science, and philosophy. He soon discovered his love for books, including the works of William Thackeray and Thomas Carlyle. His interest in folklore began when he noticed that a great deal of the material he was reading at school overlapped with traditional tales he had heard as a child in Sydney.

Jacobs' first major work of literary scholarship, titled Indian Fairy Tales, was published in 1889. He had previously written several books on the plight of the American Indians and the injustices they had suffered, but this book was his entrance into the world of folktale scholarship. In it, Jacobs collected and translated many tales from the Far East, specifically India and the region then known as Punjab.

In 1892, Jacobs published English Fairy Tales, in which he compiled long-forgotten folkloric tales from England and Ireland. His book was revolutionary for the time, suggesting that there might be more to Britain's cultural heritage than established texts of classical literature. This went against the general academic consensus, and it earned Jacobs a great deal of notoriety. He expanded on this idea in his 1895 book, Celtic Fairy Tales, in which he presented a vast compilation of stories from the Celtic tradition, covering territories that included Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall.

One of Jacobs' best-known works is his 1898 collection of Jewish stories, Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends. This was his second attempt to incorporate foreign traditions into British and Irish folklore, and it made a major contribution to the field of Jewish folklore. The book was an immediate bestseller, and it remained popular long after Jacobs' demise.

By the early twentieth century, Jacobs had become a renowned British author and literary scholar. He was involved in the establishment of the Folklore Society and wrote books and reviews for several acclaimed publications, including Folklore and The Standard. His death in 1916 did not detract from his legacy, as he remained an influential figure in folktale scholarship for decades afterwards.

Joseph Jacobs' passion for folklore remains strong today. He is remembered for his collections of stories from diverse cultures, which made a major contribution to our understanding of British and Irish heritage. His works continue to inspire a new generation of scholars, enabling them to further explore the depths of our cultural history.