From the Foreword: "twenty-one folk-tales ... collected by the late Dr. John Sampson from the Gypsies of Wales ... lose much in translation."The frequent hero,Jak, is described by Dr. Sampson as follows: "Always the youngest brother and generally despised as a fool, he is cunning & fortunate rather than wise and deserving and, while possessed of courage, somewhat of a braggart and a liar. His virtues are reverence for his mother, generosity in sharing food with strangers and helpfulness to men or animals in distress. In love affairs, in spite of his uncouth manners and slovenly appearance he is always successful over his rivals, though more courted than himself a particularly ardent suitor." [pp. vii-viii]

I felt a lot was lost in translation. The hero described above is not unique to Romany culture. ( )