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
Kings of Ireland in Myth and Legend
Kings of Ireland in Myth and Legend gathers traditional Irish accounts centred on rulers whose identities stand between remembered history, dynastic storytelling and myth. Dáithí Ó hÓgáin treats kingship as part of Ireland’s wider folklore,…
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Cover unavailableLakeland Folk Tales for Children
Taffy Thomas gathers twenty folk tales rooted in the landscapes and communities of Cumbria. Dragons appear around Scafell Pike and Rydal Cave, while Grasmere provides settings for tales of cat fishers, a ghost, a swan…
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Cover unavailableLanarkshire Folk Tales
Lanarkshire Folk Tales gathers legends and traditional stories from across one of Scotland’s historic counties, ranging across fourteen centuries of local history and happenings. Allison Galbraith brings together tales connected with Lanark, Glasgow, Dolphinton and…
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Cover unavailableLancashire Folk Tales
Lancashire Folk Tales gathers traditional stories tied to the county’s towns, landscapes and legends. Jennie Ruth Bailey and David England retell accounts ranging from the Phantom Voice at Southport and the Leprechauns of Liverpool to…
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Cover unavailableLaois Folk Tales
Laois Folk Tales gathers stories rooted in County Laois, drawing on historical sources and interviews to connect local places with legend, belief and oral tradition. The collection ranges from heroic material about Fionn MacCumhaill, Oisín…
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Cover unavailableLegends of Dorset
Legends of Dorset gathers traditional stories and beliefs associated with the county, presenting Dorset as a landscape shaped by local memory, oral tradition and inherited lore. Polly Lloyd’s collection belongs to the regional folklore tradition…
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Cover unavailableLeicestershire Folk Tales for Children
Tom Phillips retells folk tales rooted in Leicestershire, drawing on stories attached to its towns, roads, buildings, forests and fields. The collection asks how a goddess became a witch, why the nine o’clock horses roam…
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Cover unavailableLeitrim Folk Tales
Susie Minto gathers traditional tales associated with County Leitrim, drawing on folklore archives, local histories, parish collections and other regional sources. The stories are rooted in the county’s landscape, from Benbo and its surrounding mountains…
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Cover unavailableLimerick Folk Tales
Limerick Folk Tales gathers stories rooted in the folklore of County Limerick, moving between fairy lore, legendary figures, local characters and tales shaped by the county’s landscape. Ruth Marshall recounts the story of Donn Fírinne,…
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Cover unavailableLincolnshire Folk Tales
Maureen James gathers Lincolnshire stories rooted in landscape, local custom and remembered belief. The collection ranges from tales of significant stones and rural fools to accounts of strange creatures, weather lore and people whose names…
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Cover unavailableListen to the Land Speak
Listen to the Land Speak examines how Irish mythology, language and landscape preserve ways of understanding place, nature and identity. Manchán Magan travels through bogs, across rivers and over mountains, tracing stories and traditions associated…
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Cover unavailableLondon Folk Tales
London Folk Tales gathers thirty stories linked to Greater London, moving loosely from legendary beginnings to tales rooted in more recent memory. Helen East draws on oral history, local reminiscence, written sources and folklore collections,…
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Cover unavailableLondon Folk Tales for Children
London Folk Tales for Children brings together traditional tales, ballads, imagined histories and stories gathered from Londoners past and present. Anne Johnson and Sef Townsend range from the River Thames and Tower ravens to the…
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Cover unavailableLondon Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World's Most Vibrant City
London Lore surveys the capital’s folklore by district, bringing together ghost stories, local superstitions, annual customs, legends and traditional beliefs. Steve Roud ranges from the City of London and Westminster to the capital’s western, northern,…
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Cover unavailableLondon Urban Legends
London Urban Legends gathers the rumours, warnings and modern folk tales attached to the capital, from royal gossip and criminal lore to stories beneath its streets. Scott Wood considers how such narratives take shape, circulate…
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Cover unavailableLondon's River Tales for Children
London’s rivers provide the setting for this collection of historical and traditional stories, spanning Roman times to the present day. The book considers the Thames alongside lesser-known waterways that have been forced underground as the…
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Cover unavailableLong Ago by Shannonside
Long Ago by Shannonside gathers stories about the people, places and heroes of County Clare, preserving local memories that might otherwise have disappeared. Much of the material comes from Jimmy Armstrong, whose knowledge of the…
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Cover unavailableLongford Folk Tales
Longford Folk Tales gathers legends, folk customs and local lore from across County Longford, spanning early Irish tradition and more recent memory. Philip Byrne includes stories of saints, deities, fairies, devils, kings, ghosts and the…
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Cover unavailableLouth Folk Tales
Louth Folk Tales gathers ancient legends, local traditions and more recent stories from County Louth, ranging from fairy lore to saints’ legends and dark historical memory. Doreen McBride includes accounts of leprechauns, a fairy horse,…
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Cover unavailableMagpies & Red Skies: The Enchanting Origins of 100 Superstitions
Magpies & Red Skies examines 100 superstitions from around the world, tracing the traditions and beliefs behind familiar acts of luck and avoidance. Its examples include finding a penny, saluting magpies, hopping over cracks, knocking…
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Cover unavailableMayo Folk Tales
Tony Locke gathers tales rooted in the landscape and traditions of County Mayo, moving from Croagh Patrick and Clew Bay to the deep waters of Lough Mask. The collection brings together stories of legendary figures,…
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Cover unavailableMeath Folk Tales
Meath Folk Tales gathers roughly one hundred stories from across County Meath, linking local places with legend, history and oral tradition. Richard Marsh includes accounts of kings, saints and god-figures, alongside explanations for place-names and…
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Cover unavailableMedieval Folk Tales for Children
Dave Tonge adapts 22 medieval folk tales, arranging them around the seven deadly sins: envy, gluttony, lust, sloth, pride, greed and wrath. The cast includes proud princes, troubled doctors, grasping merchants, meddlesome cooks, heroic hounds,…
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Cover unavailableMerlin
Geoffrey Ashe examines Merlin’s origins, attributes and changing place within Arthurian tradition, from medieval texts to later interpretations. The book considers the prophet’s magical conception, dream-reading and prophecies, as well as his connections with King…
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Cover unavailableMidlothian Folk Tales
Midlothian Folk Tales gathers traditional stories rooted in the county’s varied landscapes, from rugged coastlines and rushing rivers to uplands and broad valleys. Lea Taylor’s retellings connect place with tales of kings and queens, saints…
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Cover unavailableMidlothian Folk Tales for Children
Midlothian Folk Tales for Children gathers 16 stories rooted in the landscapes and traditions of the Lothians. Tim Porteus ranges from the Moorfoot Hills to the coast at Portobello, linking each tale to a particular…
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Cover unavailableMidwinter Folk Tales
Midwinter Folk Tales gathers traditional stories shaped by the cold, darkness and customs of the winter season. Taffy Thomas includes accounts such as the Legend of Tinsel, the Christmas Cat and the New Year’s Bell,…
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Cover unavailableMonaghan Folk Tales
Steve Lally gathers tales rooted in County Monaghan, bringing together haunted places, fairy lore, ghosts and ominous local characters. The collection visits Castle Leslie, where stories speak of haunted rooms and fairy folk, and Rossmore…
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Cover unavailableMonstrous Tales: Haunting Encounters with Britain's Mythical Beasts
Monstrous Tales gathers nine new and original stories inspired by Britain’s mythical beasts and regional folklore. Its settings stretch from the beaches of Orkney and the Welsh mountains to the Derbyshire peaks and the Cornish…
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Cover unavailableMysteries of the Mersey Valley
Mysteries of the Mersey Valley gathers reported mysteries and anomalous events associated with the Mersey Valley, bringing together local folklore, unexplained incidents and UFO-related accounts. The emphasis is regional rather than global, connecting strange reports…
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Cover unavailableMysterious Britain
Mysterious Britain examines the ancient monuments, landscape traditions and unexplained reports associated with Britain and Ireland. Janet and Colin Bord discuss standing stones, stone circles, henges, burial mounds, hillforts, archaic crosses and carved stones, alongside…
View book details →Mysterious Britain: A Traveller's Guide to the Mysteries and Legends of Britain
Mysterious Britain presents a travelling survey of the country's reported mysteries, legends and locations associated with strange events. Charles Walker brings together subjects linked to folklore, occult traditions, hauntings, UFO reports and other paranormal claims,…
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Cover unavailableMysterious Britain: Fact and Folklore
Mysterious Britain: Fact and Folklore presents Britain through its antiquities, curiosities and reported wonders. Homer Sykes records places and traditions that have gathered layers of legend, belief and historical interest, treating the landscape as a…
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Cover unavailableMysterious Cornwall
Mysterious Cornwall gathers reported hauntings, legends and unexplained traditions from across the county, moving well beyond ghost stories. Its subjects include witches, piskies, mermaids, mysterious beasts, sacred wells, lost treasure, Cornish saints, giants, devils and…
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Cover unavailableMysterious Gloucestershire
Mysterious Gloucestershire presents an A–Z survey of the county’s towns and villages, bringing together places, stories and reported events associated with its darker folklore. Mark Turner examines crumbling manor houses, castles, ruins, ancient woods and…
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Cover unavailableMysterious Northumberland
Mysterious Northumberland gathers reports, traditions and stories linked to the county’s supernatural and unexplained lore. Rupert Matthews covers ghosts, witchcraft, big-cat sightings, folklore and accounts of the little people, arranging the material by subject while…
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Cover unavailableMysterious Wales
Mysterious Wales surveys the country’s prehistoric monuments, sacred sites and legendary landscapes, from megaliths and stone circles to burial chambers, hill forts and ancient settlements. It also considers Celtic crosses, early memorial stones, holy wells…
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Cover unavailableMysterious Yorkshire
Mysterious Yorkshire gathers reports, legends and folklore from across the county, ranging from spectral creatures to unexplained animal sightings. The Barguest is said to patrol woods, fields and towns, while the 2006 Church Fenton Tiger…
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Cover unavailableMyth, Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition
This encyclopaedic reference work brings together Irish folklore, mythology, legend and romance literature, placing traditional narratives alongside the beliefs and customs that shaped them. Its entries range across ancient and medieval material, later storytelling and…
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Cover unavailableMyths and Legends of the First World War
James Hayward examines the myths and legends that circulated during the First World War, arranging them in roughly chronological order and tracing how they developed. The book considers the Angel of Mons, reports of Russian…
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Cover unavailableNorfolk Folk Tales
Hugh Lupton gathers thirty-three tales connected with Norfolk’s churches, villages, waterways and historic landscapes. The collection moves from the Callow Pit Coffer and the Potter Heigham Drummer to stories of witches, holy wells, bells and…
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Cover unavailableNorfolk Folk Tales for Children
Norfolk Folk Tales for Children gathers traditional stories reworked by professional storyteller and historian Dave Tonge. The tales draw on the county’s places, people and distinctive dialect, while introducing younger readers to the way folklore…
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Cover unavailableNorth of Ireland Folk Tales for Children
Doreen McBride retells folk tales linked to the north of Ireland, bringing together stories of mermaids, pishogues, fairies, witches, wizards and ghosts. The collection moves between eerie reports, comic episodes and old legends involving Celtic…
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Cover unavailableNorth Wales Folk Tales for Children
Fiona Collins retells traditional stories from North Wales, placing dragons, giants, wizards, witches and monsters among the region’s mountains, rivers and rolling hills. The collection also introduces the Tylwyth Teg, the Welsh fairies, alongside tales…
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Cover unavailableNorth Yorkshire Folk Tales
North Yorkshire Folk Tales gathers legends and traditional stories from across the county, ranging from the open Yorkshire Dales to its towns and cities. Ingrid Barton arranges the material around recurring figures and themes, including…
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Cover unavailableNorthamptonshire Folk Tales
Kevan Manwaring gathers Northamptonshire stories spanning local history, legend, ghost tradition and myth. The collection includes the Great Fire of Northampton, a farmer who outwits a bogle, and the reported last execution of witches in…
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Cover unavailableNorthumberland Folk Tales
Northumberland Folk Tales gathers traditional stories shaped by the county’s borderland history, landscape and storytelling culture. Its characters include saints seeking refuge, ancient kings struggling over land and salvation, and communities facing one another with…
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Cover unavailableNot of This Wold II: A Second Anthology of Weird Lincolnshire Writing
The second Not of This Wold anthology continues the project’s exploration of strange Lincolnshire through a new collection edited by Kate Cherrell. Its focus is the county’s mysterious and supernatural character, approached through creative writing…
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