More English Fairy Tales

Joseph Jacobs and John Dickson Batten (1854-1916)

Approximate level: B1
Length: 61,862 words
Reading time: 5 h 9 min
Chapters: 49
Language: English
On Project Gutenberg since: 2004

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This collection brings together traditional English fairy tales, along with a tale from the United States, stories from Lowland Scotland, and versions adapted from ballads. Joseph Jacobs retells many in a style meant to sound like oral storytelling, with old-fashioned words and regional expressions such as “Lawkamercy.” The stories are short, but their unusual vocabulary and older forms of speech may require careful reading. The editor’s introduction uses longer, formal sentences to discuss folklore, literary style, and the choices involved in collecting and retelling tales.

1,678 downloads on Project Gutenberg

Subjects

Folklore -- England
Fairy tales -- England

Questions about this book

What level of English do I need for this book?

The estimate is B1, based on how common the words are and how long the sentences run. It is an approximation, not a test result. With a translation under every sentence you can start one level earlier than you would with a paper copy.

Is this book really free?

Yes. The text is in the public domain and comes from Project Gutenberg, so it costs nothing. In Lingo7 you open the book and read the first page for free; a subscription unlocks the whole library, the audio and the word practice.

How does reading with a translation work?

Lingo7 shows the original sentence and, right under it, the same sentence in your language. Tap a word to see what it means, hear it, and save it for practice. The translation is made while you read, so it works for any book and for 50 languages.

How long does it take to read?

About 5 h 9 min at a native pace, spread over 49 chapters. In a foreign language plan for more: half an hour a day finishes a book of this size in a few weeks.