Joseph Jacobs (1854–1916) was a noted folklorist, critic, and historian who gained fame compiling English folktales. Born in Sydney, Australia, Jacobs completed his studies at the University of Cambridge. His career began with a post as the secretary of the Society of Hebrew Literature. Work with Jewish literature and history became a principal pursuit in his life, and he eventually became president of the Jewish Historical Society of England, a revising editor of the Jewish Encyclopedia, and editor of the American Hebrew. In 1890 Jacobs began releasing collections of English fairy tales in a mission to give English children homegrown stories to read in addition to the more traditional French and German fairy tales.