This enchanting collection of stories gathers together folk tales from across England in one special volume. Drawn from The History Press’ popular Folk Tales series, herein lies a treasure trove of tales from a wealth of talented storytellers performing in the country today, including prominent figures Taffy Thomas MBE, Hugh Lupton and Helen East. From hidden chapels and murderous vicars to travelling fiddlers and magical shape-shifters, this book celebrates the distinct character of England’s different customs, beliefs and dialects, and is a treat for all who enjoy a good yarn.

A stunning collection of English folklore featuring stories of beasts, giants, ghosts, saints, and the Devil, as well as moral tales and tales of origins. Master storyteller, social historian, and folklorist Sybil Marshall scoured English history to bring together a fascinating collection of folk tales in one glorious edition. Out-of-print for over thirty years, Overlook is re-issuing this bewitching book to enchant a new audience. From the great mass of folk tales that exists, Sybil Marshall has chosen a wide variety of stories, retelling them with wit and suspense. We have her tales of the little people and of giants, of the Devil and the saints, and supernatural and moral tales. Let Sybil Marshall lead you through the old English countryside, exploring the beliefs and legends of time gone by. This beautiful edition, complete with wood engraved illustrations by John Lawrence, will entertain, educate, and ensnare audiences of all ages. “A compilation of vivid, sometimes fearsome stories . . . The England we visit here has no afternoon teas or jolly rounds of cricket on lovely green lawns. In these pages, the sophisticated reader steps onto older, darker soil half-soaked in blood, superstition, and magic. . . . Wood engravings by John Lawrence deepen our sense of the blackened accretion of centuries in this fascinating collection.” —Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Wall Street Journal

This enchanting collection of stories gathers together legends from across Scotland in one special volume. Drawn from The History Press' popular Folk Tales series, herein lies a treasure trove of tales from a wealth of talented storytellers. From the Spaeman's peculiar advice and a laird who is transformed into a frog, to a fugitive hiding in a dark cave and the stoor worm battling with Assipattle, this book celebrates the distinct character of Scotland's different customs, beliefs and dialects, and is a treat for all who enjoy a well-told story.

The most popular English fairy tales collected and Edited by JOSEPH JACOBS. TOM TIT TOT, THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG, HOW JACK WENT TO SEEK HIS FORTUNE, NIX NOUGHT NOTHING, BINNORIE, THE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS, THE MASTER AND HIS PUPIL, JACK AND HIS GOLDEN SNUFF-BOX, THE STORY OF THE THREE BEARS, CHILDE ROWLAND, EARL MAR'S DAUGHTER, MR. MIACCA, WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT, Black Bull of Norroway. Illustrated by Nataly Ger.

This enchanting collection of stories gathers together legends from across Ireland in one special volume. Drawn from The History Press' popular Folk Tales series, herein lies a treasure trove of tales from a wealth of talented storytellers. From fairies, giants and vampires to changelings and witches, this book celebrates the distinct character of Ireland's different customs, beliefs and dialects, and is a treat for all who enjoy a well-told story.

CYMBELINE; The Wager on the Wife's Chastity; Yolando Pino- Saavedra, "The Wager on the Wife's Chastity"; Kurt Ranke, "The Innkeeper of Moscow"; Italo Calvino, "Wormwood"; J. M. Synge, "The Lady O'Conor"; Snow White; Yolando Pino- Saavedra, "Blanca Rosa and the Forty Thieves"; Violet Paget, "The Glass Coffin"; Alan Bruford, "Lasair Gheug, the King of Ireland's Daughter"; The Maiden Who Seeks Her BrothersPeter Christian Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, "The Twelve Wild Ducks"; VIII. THE TEMPEST; The Magic Flight; Joseph Jacobs, "Nix Nought Nothing"; Peter Buchan, "Green Sleeves"; Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, "The Two Kings' Children"; Zora Neale Hurston, "Jack Beats the Devil"; Marie- Catherine d'Aulnoy, "The Bee and the Orange Tree.".

With a foreword by Neil Gaiman, this comprehensive, entertaining and authentic collection of English folktales is perfect for fans of Madeline Miller, Philip Pullman and the Brothers Grimm. This is a golden treasury of over one hundred English folktales captured in the form they were first collected in past centuries. Read these classic tales as they would have been told when storytelling was a living art – when the audience believed in boggarts and hobgoblins, local witches and will-o’-the-wisps, ghosts and giants, cunning foxes and royal frogs. Find “Jack the Giantkiller”, “Tom Tit Tot” and other quintessentially English favourites, alongside interesting borrowings, such as an English version of the Grimms’ “Little Snow White” – as well as bedtime frighteners, including “Captain Murderer”, as told to Charles Dickens by his childhood nurse. Neil Philip has provided a full introduction and source notes on each story that illustrate each tale’s journey from mouth to page, and what has happened to them on the way. These tales rank among the finest English short stories of all time in their richness of metaphor and plot and their great verbal dash and daring.