Jamaica Anansi Stories is a book by American folklorist Martha Warren Beckwith, and was first published in 1924. It includes folklore (including animal stories, modern stories and old stories), transcriptions of folk music, and a large collection of riddles, all cross-referenced with folklore studies from other cultures. The trickster Anansi, originally a West African spider-god, features in these tales. He is the spirit of rebellion who is able to overturn the social order; he can marry the Kings' daughter, create wealth out of thin air; baffle the Devil and cheat Death. Even if Anansi loses in one story, you know that he will overcome in the next. The author did extensive research in the folklore of Hawaii and Jamaica, and was the first person to hold a chair in Folklore at any college or university in the United States.
