This popular English fairy tale is retold in Blackie's Coloured-Picture Story Readers for Infants and at least a dozen titles adapted and illustrated by John Hassall. As we may expect the gory parts of the story are soften and illustrations far from being explicit, all for a simple reson: to address as wide spectra of audience as possible.

 

There are only four illustrations in a whole book, but at least they are full page and full color pictures. We'll present them along with a summary of the (as already said, adapted) story.

 

There was a rich farmer who had a son called Jack. Jack was very brave and clever. In the neighborhood lived a giant who constantly stole oxen and sheep. Everybody was afraid of him. One day the giant stole almost complete herd of Jack's father. Jack decided to take rid of him once for all.

 

He dig a large pit just across the giant's home and covered it with stiks and straw. The he stepped on one side of the pit and started provoking the giant. When the giant ran to him, he felt in the pit. Jack killed him with a pick.

 

This giant had a brother who swore he would avange the killed one. A few months later he found Jack sleeping by a brook and carried him to his castle. Then he went for another giant. They planned a dinner and Jack shpuld be the main coarse. But Jack managed to throw two ropes through the window just when the giants were under, caught their necks with nooses and cut heads of both. He checked the rest of the castle and found three ladies being imprisoned.

 

Jack freed the ladies and went out. He was walking for a long time and met another giant, this time one with two heads. He asked him if he could spent the night in his home. Giant gave him a room but Jack heard him talking with himself how he would break his head. Jack put a large piece of wood in his bed and hid behind. 

 

In the night the giant really sneaked in the bedroom and struck the wood in the bed with his large club.

He was very surprised to see Jack coming to breakfast next morning.




He gave him a great bowl of milk. Jack hid a large bag under his coat and put all the food in the bag pretending he can eat so large portions. Then told the giant he can show him a nice trick - by cuting the coat with the full bag under, he seemingly released all his breakfast out of his stomach.

 

The giant immediately tried if this works for him too and cut his own belly. He died and Jack continued his travel.

 

He met a son of King Arthur who was completely out of money. Jack told him he has an uncle in the neighborhood where they can stay the night. But this unclewas a three-headed giant, so it would be better to visit him by himself at first.

 

Then Jack got to giant's house and lied about an army coming to kill him. He convinced the giant to lock himself in the basement for the night, so the King's son and him could have a fine dinner and sleep. He gave a lot of money to his companyion before they parted.

 

After that, he released the giant who was so thankful he gave Jack four magical objects - the coat that make its owner invisible, the cap that make him knowing everything, the shoes that help its owner running very fast, and the sword that cut everything to pieces right after the owner strikes it.

 

Soon after Jack came to the castle where a great ball was held. But then somebody came warning that a giant is coming. Thanks to the magic gifts Jack made the giant runinning around the castle before killing him.

 

Jack killed even more giants later, yet after some time he decided to marry a beauty and they lived happily in his father's farm.

The picture book was published as one of Blackie's Coloured-Picture Story-Readers for Infants in London and Glasgow in 1903.