A Book of Giants

by Ruth Manning-Sanders, Robin Jacques (Illustrator)

Manning-Sanders, Ruth. A Book of Giants. Text illustrations by Robin Jacques. London, Pan Books Ltd., 1972. 12.5 x 19cm. 126 pages. Original softcover. Very good condition with minor signs of external wear, spine sunned. [A Piccolo Book]. Nobody knows who first told the story of Jack and the all the stories in this book are very old. Eighteen witty and spell-binding stories of giants who turn people to stone, pull up trees, flatten thunderbolts into pancakes, cast spells and take little tables out of their ears! [From jacket notes]

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Folklore, Classics, Fairy Tales

125 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Ruth Manning-Sanders, youngest daughter of an English minister, describes her childhood as “extraordinarily happy. . . with kind and understanding parents and any amount of freedom.” She read omnivorously, and she and her two sisters wrote and acted their own plays. A Shakespeare scholar at Manchester University, she later married Cornish artist George Manning-Sanders. They began married life in a horse drawn caravan, and traveled to all parts of the British Isles.
Mrs. Manning-Sanders has collected folk and fairy stories from around the world and she published more than 90 books during her lifetime.

Reviews

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was yet another very fun collection by a wonderful author! Great stories, with a wide variety of plots. Even though each tale involved giants, no two stories felt exactly the same, and all were a pleasure to read!

My favorites include: "Fin M'Coul and Cucullin", "Jack the Giant Killer", and "Prince Loaf".