This whimsical collection of tales is based on the Buddhist collection
of Jātaka tales. However, the author confesses to 'ruthlessly' altering
them for the amusement of children and occasionally borrowing a 'phrase
or a versicle'. He opens the book with a warning; "To this work I refer
all scholars, folklorists and scientific persons generally: warning them
that if they plunge deeper into these page, they will be horribly
shocked." These wonderful tales are accompanied by many beautiful and
intricate black and white illustrations by W. Heath Robinson. An English
cartoonist and illustrator, best known for drawings of ridiculously
complicated machines - for achieving deceptively simple objectives. Such
was (and is) his fame, that the term 'Heath Robinson' entered the
English language during the First World War, as a description of any
unnecessarily complex and implausible contrivance. Originally published
in 1897, we are now republishing it here as part of our 'Pook Press'
imprint, celebrating the golden age of illustration in children's
literature.