Tom Hickathrift #TomHickathrift An example of a Chapbook This story is based on a folktale. You can find similar folktales in other places. It is thought that travellers, or people moving to new areas, passed on the stories and they became part of the culture, often using local heroes or events. The characters in this tale can be found in many folktales: the wicked ogre, the giant and the, not very bright, person who, even so, wins out in the end. Folktales often have a moral. In this story, success and wealth only comes to Tom when he stops being lazy and starts to work. This story is just one of many told about Tom. It is one of the few English folktales to live on past the Puritan times, when some people thought it was wrong to tell stories. It was first written down between 1700-1800, along with other English folktales, such as Jack the Giant-Killer, in what were known as Chapbooks - little paper books sold by people called chapmen, or travelling peddlers, who went from village to village. These little storybooks were usually sold for a penny or sixpence. They were very popular until the mid 19th century. Then lots more books were published. Some of these were English translations of European fairy stories, which became more popular than the British folk tales. Another version of Tom Hickathrift was printed in 1847 and Joseph Jacobs also included the story in his book, More English Fairy Tales, published in the early 20th Century.