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The Golden Arm

From English Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs

This tale appears in English Fairy Tales, collected and published by the Australian-born folklorist Joseph Jacobs in 1890. "The Golden Arm" is a traditional cautionary story, told in various forms across England and beyond, and is perhaps best known in the version Mark Twain adapted for live performance. Jacobs gathered it as part of his effort to preserve English oral tradition. The story is worth a reader's time because it examines the corrupting power of greed through the structure of a ghost story, using supernatural consequences to dramatise a moral truth: that valuing possessions over people brings destruction. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised.

Band

Blue · Independent readers, confidentTypical starting range: ages 12–14

Length

long · about 983 words in 4 sections · 2 pictures

Source

English Fairy Tales, Joseph Jacobs

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

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