Discover folklore books from across the UK and Ireland, from local legends and old customs to supernatural traditions and strange regional tales. These titles explore the beliefs, stories and traditions that have shaped communities for generations.
425 books found
Cover unavailable101 Things to Do with a Stone Circle
Geoff Holder examines the many uses, meanings and legends attached to stone circles long after their construction. This is not an account of the prehistoric communities who built them, but a collection of later activities,…
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Cover unavailableA Cornish Bestiary
A Cornish Bestiary brings together Cornwall’s reported, imagined and traditional creatures from natural history, folklore, ballads, journalism, literature and hoaxes. Luke Thompson places familiar modern legends such as the Owlman of Mawnan Smith and the…
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Cover unavailableA Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language
A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language gathers traditional narratives from across Great Britain, presenting them as a substantial reference work rather than a single themed anthology. Katharine Briggs incorporates the F. J.…
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Cover unavailableA Dictionary of English Folklore
A Dictionary of English Folklore brings together more than 1,250 alphabetically arranged entries on England’s traditional beliefs, customs, stories and seasonal observances. Compiled by Jacqueline Simpson with Stephen Roud, it covers subjects ranging from fairies,…
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Cover unavailableA Feast of Folklore
A Feast of Folklore examines the beliefs, customs and stories attached to British food, showing how everyday ingredients became remedies, charms, omens and ritual objects. Ben Gazur considers familiar superstitions, including throwing salt over the…
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Cover unavailableA Guide to Ancient Sites in Britain
A Guide to Ancient Sites in Britain lists more than 126 prehistoric and ancient locations across the country, from the Isles of Scilly to Orkney and Shetland. Each entry provides a map reference and a…
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Cover unavailableA History of Goblins
Matt King traces the goblin from medieval belief to modern fantasy, following a creature that has shifted between demon, fairy, household nuisance and pop-culture icon. A History of Goblins explores how goblins have appeared in…
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Cover unavailableA History of the World in 100 Tales
A History of the World in 100 Tales brings together 100 myths, folk tales, legends and urban myths from five continents. Sharon Jacksties moves across time, from early creation stories to traditions shaped by later…
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Cover unavailableA Treasury of British Folklore: Maypoles, Mandrakes and Mistletoe
A Treasury of British Folklore gathers British customs, superstitions and legends, linking inherited beliefs to the landscapes and communities that shaped them. Dee Dee Chainey ranges from fairy lore and folk healing to witches, alchemy…
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Cover unavailableAberdeenshire Folk Tales
Aberdeenshire Folk Tales gathers stories rooted in the county’s hills, glens, castles, rivers, coastline and city. Grace Banks and Sheena Blackhall include legends of the Maidenstone, Knock Castle, Kildrummy Castle, Drum Castle and the Curse…
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Cover unavailableAdventures in Nature
Adventures in Nature brings together original stories and traditional tales with seasonal ways for families to spend time outdoors. Organised around the Wheel of the Year, its entries connect storytelling with close attention to the…
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Cover unavailableAlbion: Guide to Legendary Britain
Jennifer Westwood’s gazetteer gathers Britain’s legendary places, stories and traditional beliefs, arranging them through regional coverage of England, Scotland and Wales. Its entries connect folklore with landscapes, buildings, monuments and local history, making room for…
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Cover unavailableAn Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology
An Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology introduces the gods, goddesses and mythic traditions associated with the Celtic world. Bob Curran considers the cultural and religious origins of these stories, presenting mythology alongside the folklore that developed…
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Cover unavailableAn Irish Folklore Treasury
An Irish Folklore Treasury brings together stories and memories drawn from the Schools’ Collection, gathered by Irish schoolchildren during the 1930s. Their accounts preserve local traditions alongside recollections of how families worked, played, worshipped and…
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Cover unavailableAn Unnatural History of Britain
An Unnatural History of Britain follows nature writer Kevin Parr across the country in search of non-native species that have established themselves in the British Isles. Its subjects include yellow-tailed scorpions, Aesculapian snakes, eagle owls,…
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Cover unavailableAncient Legends Retold: The Legend of Pryderi
Fiona Collins retells the life of Pryderi, the only character to appear throughout all Four Branches of the Mabinogion. The Welsh legend follows him from childhood through kingship, conflict and loss, while connecting his story…
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Cover unavailableAncient Legends Retold: The Legend of Vortigern
Simon Heywood retells the legend of Vortigern, the British ruler whose story belongs to the troubled generations before Arthur. Speaking in his own voice, Vortigern looks back on a life shaped by ambition, warfare and…
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Cover unavailableAncient Legends Retold: The Seat Perilous
At the centre of these Arthurian retellings stands the Seat Perilous, the vacant chair at King Arthur’s Round Table. Reserved for the knight worthy of attaining the Grail and restoring the land, it destroys anyone…
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Cover unavailableAncient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland
Lady Wilde gathers Irish legends and traditional beliefs concerning fairies, banshees, changelings, witches, the dead and the power attributed to words. Stories include fairy music and dances, the evil eye, the Phouka, the leprechaun, the…
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Cover unavailableAncient Mysteries of Britain
Ancient Mysteries of Britain examines the sites, remains and traditions that have given Britain’s landscape its enduring air of enigma. Janet and Colin Bord discuss stone circles, standing stones, burial chambers, hillforts, earthworks, prehistoric dwellings…
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Cover unavailableAngus Folk Tales
Angus Folk Tales gathers legends from across the county, from Dundee and the Sidlaw Hills to Strathmore, the Angus glens and the coast. Erin Farley brings together stories of Caterans, Jacobite escapes, pirates, kelpies, broonies,…
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Cover unavailableAnimal Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland
Sharon Jacksties gathers 67 traditional tales from Britain and Ireland, bringing domesticated, wild and legendary animals into the foreground. The collection includes stories explaining how the hedgehog gained its spines, how pigs saved a prince…
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Cover unavailableAnimals of Ireland in Myth and Legend
Animals of Ireland in Myth and Legend gathers Irish legends in which animals carry symbolic, narrative or other traditional significance. Dáithí Ó hÓgáin presents the subject as part of Ireland’s storytelling heritage, focusing on the…
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Cover unavailableAnimals, Beasties and Monsters of Scotland
Animals, Beasties and Monsters of Scotland gathers seventeen Scottish folk tales featuring creatures both familiar and fantastical. Kelpies, the greedy trows of Orkney, the Shetland wulver and the Blue Men of the Minch appear alongside…
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Cover unavailableAntrim Folk Tales
Antrim Folk Tales gathers stories associated with County Antrim, from Irish mythological figures to local characters and supernatural traditions. Conal Cearnach is linked with Dunseverick Castle, while Deirdre of the Sorrows is remembered through Carraig…
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Cover unavailableArgyll Folk Tales
Argyll Folk Tales brings together stories from the mainland and islands of Argyll, including Mull, Iona and Islay. Bob Pegg’s selection ranges from accounts involving wolves, wizards, revenants, selkies and mermaids to tales of fairies,…
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Cover unavailableArmagh Folk Tales
Armagh Folk Tales brings together legends, local reminiscences and traditional stories from County Armagh, moving between heroic mythology, religious lore and more recent community storytelling. Among its subjects are Conor Mac Nessa, Deirdre of the…
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Cover unavailableAtlas of Magical Britain
Atlas of Magical Britain maps the places, legends and customs that give Britain its enduring air of enchantment. Across 16 regional maps, Janet and Colin Bord locate prehistoric camps, ghostly ruins, sites linked with Arthurian…
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Cover unavailableBallad Tales
Ballad Tales gathers 19 prose retellings of traditional British ballads, turning narrative songs into compact folk tales. The source material ranges from Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer to Barbara Allen, The Grey Selkie of…
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Cover unavailableBanshees, Beasts and Brides from the Sea: Irish Tales of the Supernatural
Banshees, Beasts and Brides from the Sea gathers Irish tales centred on supernatural traditions, legendary creatures and uncanny encounters. Its subjects include the death-warning banshee, mysterious beasts and brides connected with the sea, bringing together…
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Cover unavailableBeasts, Banshees and Bogeymen
Beasts, Banshees and Bogeymen gathers Tom Slemen’s accounts of reported supernatural encounters, folklore and sinister local legends from Liverpool and its surroundings. The stories range from named apparitions and uncanny beings to tales rooted in…
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Cover unavailableBedfordshire Folk Tales
Bedfordshire Folk Tales gathers stories rooted in the county’s history, landscapes and storytelling traditions. Its settings include dark forests, ruined castles and the green pastureland of Bedfordshire, where history and legend meet. The collection brings…
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Cover unavailableBerkshire Folk Tales
Berkshire Folk Tales gathers stories from across the county, bringing together legends, local traditions and accounts of remarkable characters. Alongside Herne the Hunter, Wayland the Smith and the stories surrounding the Uffington White Horse are…
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Cover unavailableBlack Dog Folklore
Black Dog Folklore examines the recurring figure of the spectral black dog in British tradition, treating reported encounters alongside the beliefs attached to them. Mark Norman considers Westcountry dog legends, protective animals, Black Shuck and…
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Cover unavailableBlood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain
Blood and Mistletoe examines how the Druids of Britain have been described, reconstructed and reinvented across roughly 2,000 years. Because little reliable evidence survives from antiquity, Ronald Hutton follows the changing meanings attached to these…
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Cover unavailableBoggarts, Trolls and Tylwyth Teg
Boggarts, Trolls and Tylwyth Teg gathers folk tales about hidden people and lost lands, placing Welsh traditions alongside stories from further afield. The Grimms’ Quiet Folk, Māori Patupaiarehe and the Welsh Tylwyth Teg appear as…
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Cover unavailableBotanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland
Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland gathers traditional stories about the trees, flowers and plants woven through Britain and Ireland’s landscapes. Lisa Schneidau arranges the collection around the growing year, beginning with winter’s yew,…
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Cover unavailableBrehons and Brahmins
Brehons and Brahmins examines reported connections between Irish and Indian culture through language, mythology, social organisation and law. Manchán Magan considers how similarities between Irish and Sanskrit vocabulary, the status of druids and brahmins, and…
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Cover unavailableBristol Urban Legends
Bristol Urban Legends gathers stories that have circulated through the city’s families, streets and waterways, where gossip, humour and uncertainty often blur together. Wilf Merttens and Lis Groenveld give particular attention to tales that resist…
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Cover unavailableBritain's Living Folklore
Roy Palmer examines the customs, beliefs and informal traditions that have shaped everyday life across Britain. The book ranges from older rural practices and local celebrations to more recent forms of behaviour, showing folklore as…
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Cover unavailableBritish & Irish Mythology
British & Irish Mythology is an alphabetical reference to the myths, legends and legendary figures of Britain and Ireland. Its entries range across Arthurian material, Welsh traditions and Irish cycles, bringing together figures such as…
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Cover unavailableBuckinghamshire Folk Tales
Buckinghamshire Folk Tales gathers stories from across the county, arranging them around south Buckinghamshire, north Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. The collection brings together accounts of witches, dragons, highwaymen, ghosts, monks and the folkloric Black Dog,…
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Cover unavailableBygone Suffolk: Its History, Romance, Legend and Folk-Lore
John Cuming Walters surveys Suffolk’s past through its churches, monasteries and parish traditions, combining local history with legend, romance and folk-lore. The book ranges across the county’s religious heritage, literary associations and stories attached to…
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Cover unavailableCambridgeshire Folk Tales
Cambridgeshire Folk Tales gathers stories from the county’s contrasting landscapes, linking Cambridge, Huntingdonshire and the Isle of Ely with the people and traditions attached to them. Maureen James includes accounts of Hereward the Saxon, the…
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Cover unavailableCambridgeshire Folk Tales for Children
Cambridgeshire’s giants, legends and local heroes appear in sixteen stories shaped from the county’s folklore and history. Chip Colquhoun retells tales of Gogmagog, the Wisbech and Histon giants, King John’s jewels, an eel catcher’s daughter…
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Cover unavailableCardiff Folk Tales
Cardiff Folk Tales gathers stories rooted in the city’s landscape, communities and long history of oral storytelling. Cath Little ranges from the Celtic Silures who resisted Roman rule to the working people who mined, carried…
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Cover unavailableCarlow Folk Tales
Carlow Folk Tales gathers more than eighty traditional stories from rural County Carlow, collected and retold by local storytellers Aideen McBride and Jack Sheehan. The selection ranges across the county, presenting folklore shaped by local…
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Cover unavailableCarmarthenshire Folk Tales
Carmarthenshire Folk Tales gathers traditional stories from across a county shaped by the hills of Bro Dinefwr and the coastal wetlands around Laugharne. Its accounts include ghostly happenings in Carmarthen, described as Wales’s oldest town,…
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