CHAPBOOKS

1621. I., R. [Richard Johnson]. (1573-1659). The History of Tom Thumbe, the Little, for his small stature surnamed, King Arthvrs Dwarfe: Whose Life and aduentures containe many strange and wonderfull accidents, published for the delight of merry Time-spenders. London: 1621. Reprinted in A.B. of Phisike Doctour, Merrie Tales of the Mad Men of Gotamand R.I., The History of Tom Thumb. Ed. Curt F. Bübler, Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1965.

A prose tale published as a chapbook in London with King Arthur central to the tale. In this version, Tom is given magical clothes and gifts from the Queen of Fairies, and has an encounter with the giant, Gargantua.

1630. Tom Thumbe, His Life and Death: Wherein is declared many Maruailous Acts of Manhood, full of wonder, and strange merriments: Which the little Knight lived in King Arthurs time, and famous in the Court of Great-Brittaine. London: Printed for John Wright, 1630.

Written in verse, this adaptation of Johnson's 1621 prose version omits Tom's capture by a giant, the magical gifts from the Fairy Queen, and Tom's encounter with Gargantua found in Johnson's version.

PLAYS

1730. Fielding, Henry, (1707-1754). Tom Thumb. A Tragedy. Dublin: Printed and Sold by S. Powell, 1730. Reprinted in Tom Thumb and The Tragedy of Tragedies. Ed. L. J. Morrissey. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970.

Fielding's original play based on earlier metrical versions. In this adaptation, Tom Thumb becomes an unlikely hero and the object of women's desire in King Arthur's court. Fielding satirizes the absurdities of heroic drama and shows his contempt for government policies and officials.

1731. Fielding, Henry, (1707-1754). The Tragedy of Tragedies or the Life and Death of Tom Thumb, the Great. As it is acted at the Theatre in the Hay-Market. With Annotations of H. Scriblerus Secundus. London: Printed and sold by F. Roberts in Warwick Lane, 1731. Reprinted in Tom Thumb and The Tragedy of Tragedies. Ed. L. J. Morrissey. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970.

This revision expands upon the parodies found in Fielding's first version by adding scenes, complications, and characters that broaden and enhance the satire aimed at government, heroic drama, etc.

1733. Haywood. Eliza (1693-1756) and Hatchett, William (1730-1741). The Opera of Operas; or, Tom Thumb the Great. Alter'd from the life and death of Tom Thumb the Great. And set to musick after the Italian Manner. As it is performing at the New Theatre in the Hay-Market. London: Printed for William Rayner, 1733. Reprinted in The Plays of Eliza Haywood. Ed. Valerie C. Rudolph. New York: Garland Publishing, 1983.

An adaptation of Henry Fielding's play The Tragedy of Tragedies, and set to music. Rather than focusing on political or literary satire, Haywood's version uses the diminutive hero and the scheming, lecherous court to heighten her satire on the popular happy endings found in Italian opera.

1780. O'Hara, Kane (arr.) (1714?-1782). Tom Thumb. A Burlesque Opera. Altered from Fielding, Henry. First performed in 1780. First Printed in 1805. Reprinted in British Drama, 12 vols., John Dicks, 1871, VI (219-24).

A burletta based on Fielding's 1731 burlesque, The Tragedy of Tragedies. This shortened version changes or omits scenes and characters while retaining Fielding's acerbic satire on politics and heroic drama. Like Haywood's adaptation, this burletta's happy ending satirizes the happy endings in Italian opera.

(c.1800). Tom Thumb: Printed for the Booksellers, n.d. [generally dated from 1790-1810].

Metrical version printed in a late eighteenth century or early nineteenth-century chapbook. Adapted from the earlier ballad version Life and death of Tom Thumbe printed for John Wright in 1630.

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

1856. Yonge, Charlotte Mary, (1823-1901). The History of Sir Thomas Thumb. Ill. J.B. Edinburgh: Thomas Constable and Co., 1856.

A moralistic slant is given to this adaptation in which Tom must resist his own mischievous nature in order to perform his duty. He is tempted and mocked by the impish Puck who offers to help him out of his various mishaps if Tom will admit to his elfin nature, which Tom steadfastly refuses to do. It also combines Arthurian tales with the story of Tom Thumb. Tom leaves his parents to go to Caerleon and seek his fortune. There, he becomes a favorite of the court. His loyalty and courage are rewarded when King Arthur knights him. He assists King Arthur in solving Dame Ragnelle's riddle, but when Tom learns of Mordred's planned rebellion, he is seriously wounded by Mordred and taken to Fairyland to recover. Puck again tries to convince Tom to stay in Fairyland rather than returning to Earth. Tom refuses, insisting that he is a good Chrisitan man and will do his duty. However, upon his return, Tom finds Arthur mortally wounded. After Arthur's death, he agrees to escort Guinevere to a nunnery as his last duty as a knight of the Round Table. On the night before they were to leave, Tom is incensed at the sight of a spider web on King Arthur's chair. While he tries to remove the web, the spider weaves another around him. Bound hand and foot in the spider's web, Tom is tempted one last time by Puck, who offers to free him if he will acknowledge his own impish nature. Tom refuses, preferring to die an honorable Christian death.

1863. Mulock (Craik), Dinah Maria (1826-1887). Tom Thumb. Taken from The Fairy Book. The Best Popular Fairy Stories Selected and Rendered Anew. London: MacMillan and Co., 1863.

A prose version of Tom Thumb that is part of a collection of English fairy tales for children. Mulock did not condense or revise this version of Tom Thumb in order to make it more suitable for a younger audience. It does include additions to the original version in which Tom dies and returns to life with the help for the Fairy Queen, has an unfortunate encounter with the royal cook and a cat, and dies after a valiant battle with a poisonous spider.

?1880-1885. M., C. The Merry Ballads of Olden Time. Ill. Emrik & Binger. London: F. Warne & Co., [?1880-1885].

A metrical version of Tom's adventures with a cow, a raven, and a fish that brings him to King Arthur's Court where he becomes a favorite of the King.

?1880-1889. The Story of Tom Thumb. Familiar Stories Picture Book. New York: McLoughlin Bros.,[?1880-1889].

The history of Tom is told in a short metrical version for children. Each verse is followed by a captioned illustration.

1888. Tom Thumb. From the Cock Robin Series. New York: McLoughlin Bros., 1888.

An illustrated picture book written in prose and mounted on linen. Merlin and Mab, the fairy queen, work together in this version to grant the wish of the ploughman and his wife for a child.

1908. Sir Thomas Thumb, or, The Wonderful Adventures of a Fairy Knight. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1908.

This lengthy version combines Tom's adventures with a number of Arthurian stories and fairy myths. The book begins with Merlin's background and his association with Mab, the Fairy Queen. They conspire to grant the ploughman's wish for a son in order to remove the elf, Pigwiggan, from King Oberon's jealous reach even though by becoming mortal the elf will become subject to all human ailments. After Tom is born, he retains his elfin nature and has adventures in a cow's mouth, a giant's castle, and a fish's stomach where he gains entry into King Arthur's court. There, he meets and is befriended by Gareth, the kitchen-boy, after being released from the fish. He meets his old friend, Puck, on his way home with money for his parents, and receives news from fairyland. He embarks on a new set of adventures with Puck and other fairies until his return to Arthur's court where he is knighted. After a cat injures Tom, while on a hunting trip with the king, he lies unconscious in Arthur's court while his spirit returns to fairyland. The fairy knight challenges King Oberon to a fight. They battle until they are given water that induces forgetfulness. Oberon and Mab are reunited, and Tom returns to Camelot only to learn that Arthur and his loyal knights are off fighting Mordred's rebellion, Guinevere is in a nunnery, and Sir Lancelot is at Joyous Gard. Tom faints. When he awakens once more, he learns that there is a new monarch, King Thunston. The new king takes a liking to Tom, but Thunston's queen becomes jealous. To escape being put to death, Tom hides under a snail shell, flies out of the palace on the back of a butterfly, and is almost drowned in a pail of water. He is imprisoned in a mousetrap and when a cat accidentally sets him free, King Thunston takes pity on him and pardons him. Soon after, Tom is attacked by a giant spider in the king's garden and dies.

1912. Tom Thumb. Chicago: M.A. Donohue & Co.,1912.

An illustrated picture book written in prose relating Tom's many adventures with a cow, a raven, a fish, and his being knighted by King Arthur. After his death from over-exertion in jousting tournaments, he is taken up to Fairy Land to recover. When he returns to Arthur's court he immediately angers the king's cook, is tried for high treason, and must be rescued by the Queen of the Fairies. The third and last time he returns to earth, he hides in a snail shell until he can jump on the back of a butterfly that brings him to King Thunston's court where he lives happily until he is overcome by a spider's poisonous breath.

1923. MacLeod, Charles Stuart. Tom Thumb. Ill. Margaret Campbell Hoopes. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus Co., 1923.

In this story, written in verse, an angry Merlin makes Tom as small as his mother's thumb because she refuses to give him food and shelter. Later, a naughty Tom is exiled from Arthur's court because he cannot control his mischievous behavior.

1934. The History of Tom Thumb. Ill. Hilda Scott. San Francisco: 1Helen and Bruce Gentry, 1934.

A miniature (3"x3") prose version that relates the story of the life and death of Tom Thumb in the days of King Arthur.

1934 Tom Thumb. Ill. Eulalie. New York: Platt & Munk Co., Inc., 1934.

Merlin is excluded from this short and condensed story. No explanation is given for Tom's size but his adventures include falling into a bowl of batter, being snatched from his father's field by a crow that drops him on a giant's castle, and being swallowed by a fish that brings him to King Arthur's court. This version also includes Tom's return to Earth after his death, aided by the Queen of the Fairies.

1934. Johnson, Clifton. Tom Thumb. Ill. Harry L. Smith. Chicago: The Goldsmith Publishing Co., 1935.

A very different version relating a new series of adventures for the mischievous Tom who is kidnapped by travelers who want to display him in a freak show. His adventures include an escape down a mouse hole, the outwitting of two thieves, being swallowed by a cow, and being thrown into a garbage heap and then swallowed by a wolf. The story does retain the character of Merlin who grants the farmer his wish for a son.

1940. Tom Thumb also Drakestail. Ed. Katherine Lee Bates. Ill. Margaret Evans Price. Chicago: Rand McNally & Co., 1940.

In this adaptation, Merlin goes to the queen of the fairies and asks her to grant the ploughman's wish for a son. This retelling retains Tom's mischievous nature, his perilous adventures with a red cow, a giant, and a fish that brings him to King Arthur's court where he becomes the court dwarf. When Tom becomes ill, he is taken back to Fairyland to recover. He is sent back to earth, but immediately has an unpleasant encounter with the king's cook and is sentenced to be beheaded. He jumps down a miller's throat then escapes by jumping into the river where he is swallowed by another fish that is brought to King Arthur's cook. Tom is brought before the king who forgives him and then knights him. He is given a mouse to ride, and a tailor's needle for a sword. When the mouse is attacked by a cat, Tom is injured trying to protect the mouse and is taken back to Fairyland to recover. The Fairy Queen sends him back to earth again, but the time of King Arthur has passed. He becomes a favorite of King Thunston where he lives happily for many years until his death.

1988. The Adventures of Tom Thumb. Designed and illustrated by Gerda Muller. London: Treasure Press, 1988.

Tom's father finds him in a flower. This adaptation portrays Tom as a kind, thoughtful child who likes to read and write rather than as the sly, mischievous child of earlier versions. He is brought to King Arthur's court after being swallowed by a fish but is hated by the courtiers who refuse to help him when he is attacked by a cat. He is taken to fairyland to recover, then returned to his parents where he remains only visiting the king and queen.

1989. Watson, Richard Jesse. Tom Thumb. Ill. Richard Jesse Watson. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich Publishers, 1989.

A modern version which adapts the original version of Tom's mysterious birth and his perilous adventures. Tom becomes a hero and earns his place at the Round Table when he saves King Arthur and his Knights from the giant Grumbong. The king is so grateful that he offers Tom all the gold he wants to take back to his parents. Tom returns home triumphantly riding his mouse and following a tiny cartful of gold coins.

2001. Mayer, Marianna. The Adventures of Tom Thumb. Ill. K.Y. Craft. New York: SeaStar Books, 2001.

Merlin grants Tim and Kate a son who is no bigger than Tim's thumb. Despite protection by his fairy godmother, Tom endures a series of unfortunate accidents before he saves the land from Gembo the giant. He is knighted by King Arthur for his bravery then returns home to his parents because he misses them.

ANIMATION

1959. "Tom Thumb," Fractured Fairy Tales, Rocky and His Friends series, 1959.

"Tom Thumb story with Arthurian references; satirically explores the problem of juvenile delinquency." (Not viewed). Description taken from Michael N. Salda's bibliography of Arthurian animation on The Camelot Project, The University of Rochester.

1963. I Was A Teenage Thumb. Warner Bros., 1963.

"Tom Thumb story with several Arthurian references." (Not viewed). Description taken from Michael N. Salda's bibliography of Arthurian animation on The Camelot Project, The University of Rochester.

1963. Tom Thumb in King Arthur's Court. Coronet, 1963.

A retelling of Tom's adventures in King Arthur's court where true valor is not determined by size but by spirit and resolve.

1991. Tom Thumb. Gary Delfiner Productions; World-Vision Home Video, Inc., 1991.

"Retelling with Tom saving Arthur's court from a giant; based on Richard Jesse Watson's story." (Not viewed). Description taken from Michael N. Salda's bibliography of Arthurian animation on The Camelot Project, The University of Rochester.

The Camelot Project. The University of Rochester.

A database of Arthurian texts, images and bibliographies.

Carpenter, Humphrey and Prichard, Mari. The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.

Briefly mentions changes made to the narrative especially in the eighteenth century and in the nineteenth century versions for children. Also includes suggestions for further reading.

The London Stage 1660 - 1800. Part 3: 1729-1747. Ed. Arthur H. Scouten. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1961.

A history of plays, afterpieces, and casts with commentaries and box office receipts. Taken from playbills, newspapers, and theatrical diaries of the period. Tom Thumb is listed as the afterpiece on Friday, April 24, 1730 playing at the Haymarket Theater and on Saturday, April 25, includes the comment, "Prince of Wales present."

Nicoll, Allardyce. A History of English Drama 1660-1900. Vol. II. Early Eighteenth Century Drama, Third Edition. Cambridge: The University Press, 1955.

A hand-list of plays with a register of performances that include plays written by Henry Fielding and Eliza Haywood. Opening dates for Fielding's Tom Thumb in 1730, and The Tragedy of Tragedies in 1731, as well as subsequent performances of The Tragedy of Tragedies in 1737, 1743, 1751, 1765 and 1776 are listed. Entries for Eliza Haywood are dated from 1721 to 1733, with a register of performances from 1733-1740. The burletta, The Opera of Operas; or Tom Thumb the Great, co-authored with William Hatchett, credits the music to Arne. A later alteration to the text, retains the title but credits the music to Mr. Lampe.

Perceval, John. Manuscripts of the Earl of Egmont. Diary of Viscount Percival Afterwards First Earl of Egmont. Vol. I. 1730-1733, pg. 97. London: His Majesty's Stationary Office, 1920.

In his diary, the Earl of Egmont mentions his attendance at the Haymarket playhouse to see Fielding's play, Tom Thumb, on Friday, April 24, 1730. In his remarks, he notes that while the play ridicules poets and their work, modern tragedians, and operas, it is full of humor and some wit. The entry also includes a personal comment on Henry Fielding, saying that he is one of "Mr. Fielding's sixteen children and in a very low condition of purse."

Prescott, Ann Lake. The Odd Couple: Gargantua and Tom Thumb. Printed in Monster Theory. Ed. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1996: 75-91.

This article examines cultural perceptions regarding size. The fascination with the humor and terror associated with those perceptions are presented through the encounters and juxtapositions found in literature between the giant, Gargantua, and the pygmy, Tom Thumb.

Rivero, Albert J. The Plays of Henry Fielding: A Critical Study of His Dramatic Career. Charlottsville: University Press of Virginia, 1989.

Contains a critical essay on the chaotic language and misuse of language employed by Fielding in his satirical plays, Tom Thumb and The Tragedy of Tragedies, as methods of deconstructing the structure of tragedies and heroic plays.

Storytelling Encyclopedia. Historical, Cultural, and Multiethnic Approaches to Oral Traditions Around the World. Ed. David Adams Leeming. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1997.

Short synopsis on the history of the legend and the different versions including Fielding's and Yonge's. Also includes later English versions that are based on German folk-tales and its establishment by the mid-eighteenth century as a children's story.

Weiss, Harry B. "Three Hundred Years of Tom Thumb." The Scientific Monthly, Vol. 34. (Jan. to June 1932): 157-66.

A three hundred year history of the legend of Tom Thumb that examines many of the changes and adaptations made to the tale.