Product Description What are fairies, those romantic and sometimes mischievous little people-- pixies, nixies, elves, fauns, brownies, dwarfs, leprechauns, and all the other forms of the daoine sidhe (fairy people)? Are they real? Folklorists say they are fragments of ancient religious beliefs; occultists call them nature spirits; the peasant tradition says they are fallen angels who were not good enough to be saved or bad enough to be lost.
Dr. Evans-Wentz is best known as the author-translator of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead", but his first love was this book, which presents a body of tradition and testimony about an elusive order of life that survives in the natural setting of wild and lonely places. He was not satisfied with merely formal study, but collected first-hand reports of fairies in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Brittany, and faced up to the key questions avoided by other folklorists. Dr. Evans-Wentz, whose journeys led him from the haunts of fairyland to the wilderness of Tibet, opens a path for us to the luminous reality behind the traditions of folklore.
Scholastic view of FaeryloreJune 21, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A serious research into the Faery faith. Many one on one interviews with older citizens of the United Kingdom seeking stories, tales, and personal encounters with the little people. Interesting for those seeking to ferret out the truth about the origins of the Faery legend. Not for children or the "Tinkerbell" crowd. No cute and cuddly pictures.
The Fairy Faith in Celtic CountriesDecember 26, 2007 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have to agree with those who posted one star ratings on these newer editions. I would also avoid the edition by NuVision. Both of these publishing companies seem to have the same errors. Maybe they share the same bad editing department and computer program.
I finally found an older edition that seems to be much better. This edition is from the Citadel Press - Carol Publishing Group, published in 1990. The older versions are far better and worth the trouble of tracking down if you can find one.
Terrific!March 11, 2007 3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I pulled this volume out of the library several years back and devoured it; then I bought it, because there is a great deal of fascinating and well-written information here about the old belief in fairies. Mr. Evans-Wentz traveled around Great Britain, Brittany and other locations, gathering the stories of the old folks who still believed in fairies, as well as the stories their children and grand-children were willing to entrust to him. I think this is possibly the most accessible book to describe the REAL fairy faith that has been written. Unlike modern ideas of the benign fairy, this book outlines the fact that people were often fearful of the Good Folk and set out to propitiate them in order to avoid their wrath. A must-have for those interested in folk-lore, fairies and the history of the Celtic countries.
AVOID New Page editionJanuary 13, 2007 5 out of 7 found this review helpful
I wanted a cheap edition to mark up with notes- but I had no idea that this publisher would be so careless as not to proofread or quality check the work. There were typos- sometimes several to a page, such as "Foik" or "Fdk" for "Folk", periods randomly placed in the middle of sentences, lines that would shift up a fraction of a line (as if they were superscripted but the font size remained the same). It was a headache to read. On top of this, Pages 443/444 and 453/454 (which are the same sheet of paper) were torn clear across the bottom half, yet sewn into the book as is- so I can't even read those pages!) I had already been reading and note taking up to this point so I don't think I could return it now, even though its obvious on inspection this damage happened in the assembly of the book.
The Worst Edition PossibleMarch 24, 2006 15 out of 16 found this review helpful
The New Page edition of this book is a true piece of cr*p! Every single page has multiple typographical errors, obviously deriving from shoddy proofreading of the text they scanned. I thought I could deal with it, but it reached the point where it was distracting, so I ordered the Dover edition instead. I was an idiot not to get that one in the first place. Don't repeat my mistake!
