Fairies fascinate young and old alike. To some they offer tantalizing glimpses of other worlds, to others a subversive counterpoint to human arrogance and weakness. Like no other author, Katharine Briggs throughout her work communicated the thrill and delight of the world of fairies, and in this book she articulated for the first time the history of that world in tradition and literature.

From every period and every country, poets and storytellers have described a magical world inhabited by elfin spirits. Capricious and vengeful, or beautiful and generous, they've held us in thrall for generations. And on a summer's morn, as the dew dries softly on the grass, if you kneel and look under a toadstool, well ...

'Required reading for anyone seeking to take a first step into the wondrous realm of fairy tales.' - Jack Zipes

'Required reading for anyone seeking to take a first step into the wondrous realm of fairy tales.' - Jack Zipes

'Katharine Briggs is the magic mirror on the wall.' - Richard Adams

Katharine Briggs (1898-1980). Eminent folklorist and former president of the Folklore Society.