Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #65231 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-21
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Synopsis
Nearly 3000 separate entries in alphabetical order, ranging from the South African fairies Abtawa to the German dwarves Zwerge, make this book ten times as comprehensive as any other dictionary or encyclopedia of fairy names available. Unlike, say, British Goblins (Wirt Skie) and Fairies in Lore & Literature (Katherine Briggs) this book is fully international and covers all mythologies and folklore of the worlds cultural groups. The wealth of illustration adds to its justifiable claims of being The book on the subject. A full bibliographical section also aids the reader to search and discover more on selected areas of interest within the subject.

Customer Reviews

Beyond being bright and colourful, has little more to offer
Although a book containing many entries of the various types of fairies, there is not a great deal of information on any of the creatures listed beyond a small paragraph. It mostly consists of poorly edited photographs and images to make up pictures of the beings described. It further deals purely in mythology, not hazarding what such beings may be in reality (if they even exist). To its credit, it does raise partially some interesting issues e.g., the similarity between UFO abductions and being "fairy lead".

Everything you could want!
There is so much fairy stuff out there these days it is hard to know what to buy. Some of it is so twee and fluffy it must be for children, and some of it is aimed at academics. This is full of reliable information and is fully referenced, but it is well written in a very readable and entertaining way. I have never seen so complete a fairy dictionary or anything like. I love Paul and Helen's pictures, both very diffeerent in style, but they show fairies good and bad, beautiful and ugly, sublime and comical.

A book that will be an heirloom
I love this book.

I really can't understand why anyone would buy an encyclopedia and then expect all the pictures to just be pretty pretty. These are MUCH more fun. Some are pretty and dainty, others are so funny I just burst out laughing. Davy Jones [the one with the locker at the bottom of the sea] was one. And then there are little drawings on just about every page. Before reading [some] of this very full book I hadn't realised just how many fairies there are in the world. Now I can understand why folks in bygone ages seemed scared of fairies. Some of them are just not very nice - but then there are others that bring so much goodness along with them.

My problem is that I love looking at all the pictures and yet I'd like to be able to hand it down to my children when the time comes. Maybe I need ot buy two.