Who hasn't heard of the wise and merry men of Gotham? And who hasn't heard of Old King John, the wicked King of England? Here is the rollicking story of how these fun-loving scamps tricked the King (and his knave, the famous Jack of Dover) into believing them the biggest fools in all of England.
Dr. Jagendorf, author of New England Bean-Pot, Tyll Ulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Johnny Darling, etc., is a peerless storyteller, and in his inimitably vivid fashion he takes the reader back to quaint Gotham-town, where it was the height of wisdom to seem foolish, and where it was folly to be wise.
This is the first publication in this country of these classic stories of Gotham-town stories that have delighted generations and are part of the folk heritage of every boy and girl.
Book and jacket illustrations by Shane Miller
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MORITZ A. JAGENDORF reflects in his own life some of the rollicking spirits and gusto of the folk tales he collects. Born in Bukovina, Austria, his childhood, he says, was "the theatre and the circus."
At thirteen he came to the United States with an ambitious plan to produce Shakespeare in his public school, which somewhat upset his teachers. Later, at Columbia University, he distinguished himself by writing a "gusto" novel and by fencing. Unfortunately he never managed to pass a course in plane geometry and so never took his degree. He did, however, take an active part in dramatics- the beginning of a theatrical career that included translating, producing, and directing.
Meanwhile, a long-standing interest in folk- lore of both the Old World and the New led him into the work for which he is best known today.
Mr. Jagendorf is a prolific writer and an energetic researcher. Of himself he writes: "I love work. The more I work the more I live." He has been president of the New York State Folklore Society and vice president of the International Folklore Congress.
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