It's interesting to point out that in 1898, when this book was first published, there were still some minor blank spots on Earth's surface that remained unexplored. Another interesting thing is that Joseph Jacobs is a folklorist, and not necessarily a historian, which is what probably makes this book an easy read, since it lacks factual dryness and the main objective is exactly what is stated in the title, namely to tell a story. Last but not least, as a work conceived and published during the height of European colonialism, it obviously carries a lot of its shortcomings, one of which is the limited understanding of what civilization means. One the other hand, such shortcomings give us a better understanding of the age and a perspective on the described events which is uncontaminated by our contemporary points of view.