Smith lived in Jamaica as a young woman in the 1890s; you can find out more about her life and career at Wikipedia. She actually published two books of Jamican folklore, but I have not been able to find any way to access the other book. Thank goodness, this book is just a click away for you to read and enjoy at the Internet Archive!
Here you can see how she has drawn Annancy, who is recognizably a spider, but his rival Tiger is not a tiger (and of course they don't have tigers in Jamaica, or in Africa; "tiger" just means any kind of big colorful cat, like leopards in Africa)... instead, Tiger is recognizable by his striped clothing:
Here is Anansi in "Fish Country" with the fishes:
If you are familiar with her famous tarot deck, you can see her style immediately in the way she draws the human characters, as here:
You can read more about Pamela Colman Smith's Tarot deck in this article at CNN: The woman behind the world's most famous tarot deck was nearly lost in history.
There is a mix of stories in the book; some about Anansi, while others are about human characters, other animals, or supernatural creatures. The title of the book, "Annancy Stories," reflects the way that folktales are all called "Annancy Stories," whether they are about Anansi or not -- and the reason for that is a story of its own, of course. The story of how Anansi won all the stories is a famous tale told both in Africa and in the Caribbean.
So, jump in and enjoy: the stories are told with some Jamaican patois, but they are very readable... and there are illustrations for every story!
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