William Wymark Jacobs (1863–1943) is probably best-known today for his chilling little tale, "The Monkey's Paw," which seems to turn up in just about every anthology of the supernatural ever published. So the stories below may come as a bit of a surprise to fans of the macabre - for most of Jacobs' stories were lighthearted and humorous! Jacobs' father was a wharf master, and many of Jacobs' tales center on the sea and the adventures (or misadventures) of sailors and mariners. Other tales take place in the village of Claybury, centering on the mishaps of the various characters frequenting the Cauliflour pub. For over a decade Jacobs was one of the most popular and prolific contributors to The Strand - here we have no fewer than 74 stories and short novels published between 1898 and 1910! For more information, see his 1905 bio from The Strand.

Jerry Bundler (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

The Madness of Mr. Lister (The Strand, 1898B)

A Safety Match (The Strand, 1898B)

The Gray Parrot (The Strand, 1898B)

Smoked Skipper (The Strand, 1898B)

False Colours (The Strand, 1899A)

A Question of Habit (The Strand, 1899A)

A Garden Plot (The Strand, 1900A)

An Odd Freak (The Strand, 1900A)

The Bully of the Cavendish (The Strand, 1900B)

To Have and to Hold (The Strand, 1900B)

Sam's Boy (The Strand, 1900B)

The Resurrection of Mr. Wiggett (The Strand, 1900B)

A Marked Man (The Strand, 1901A)

Bill's Paper Chase (The Strand, 1901A)

Twin Spirits (The Strand, 1901A)

A Will and a Way (The Strand, 1901A)

A Tiger's Skin (The Strand, 1902A)

A Spirit of Avarice (The Strand, 1902B)

Bill's Lapse (The Strand, 1902B)

Blundell's Improvement (The Strand, 1902B)

The Money-Box (The Strand, 1902B)

Establishing Relations (The Strand, 1902B)

Breaking a Spell (The Strand, 1902B)

The Castaway (The Strand, 1903A)

Odd Charges (The Strand, 1903A)

The Changing Numbers (The Strand, 1903A)

Admiral Peters (The Strand, 1903A)

The Persecution of Bob Pretty (The Strand, 1903A)

The Third String (The Strand, 1903A)

Dixon's Return (The Strand, 1903B)

Lawyer Quince (The Strand, 1903B)

The Temptation of Samuel Burge (The Strand, 1904B)

Captains All (The Strand, 1905A)

The Nest Egg (The Strand, 1905A)

Bob's Redemption (The Strand, 1905A)

The White Cat (The Strand, 1905A)

The Boatswain's Mate (The Strand, 1905B)

The Constable's Move (The Strand, 1905B)

Four Pigeons (The Strand, 1905B)

Her Uncle (The Strand, 1905B)

Angels' Visits (The Strand, 1906A)

The Changeling (The Strand, 1906A)

His Lordship (The Strand, 1906A)

A Love-Knot (The Strand, 1906A)

A Distant Relative (The Strand, 1906A)

Alf's Dream (The Strand, 1906B)

A Circular Tour (The Strand, 1906B)

The Dreamer (The Strand, 1906B)

Mixed Relations (The Strand, 1906B)

The Test (The Strand, 1906B)

Deserted (The Strand, 1907A)

In the Family (The Strand, 1907A)

The Toll-House (The Strand, 1907A)

Double Dealing (The Strand, 1907B)

Matrimonial Openings (The Strand, 1907B)

Prize Money (The Strand, 1908B)

Homeward Bound (The Strand, 1909A)

Odd Man Out (The Strand, 1909A)

Self-Help (The Strand, 1909A)

Head of the Family (The Strand, 1909B)

Friends in Need (The Strand, 1909B)

Peter's Pence (The Strand, 1909B)

Sentence Deferred (The Strand, 1909B)

Fine Feathers (The Strand, 1910A)

For Better or Worse (The Strand, 1910A)

The Old Man of the Sea (The Strand, 1910B)

Watch-Dogs (The Strand, 1910B)

Novels & Novellas

The Skipper's Wooing (53 pages) (Windsor Magazine, 1897B)

A Master of Craft (112 pages) (The Strand, 1899-1900)

At Sunwich Port (103 pages) (The Strand, 1901A-1902A)

Dialstone Lane (104 pages) (The Strand, 1904AB)

Salthaven (99 pages) (The Strand, 1907B-1908B)