I'm going to have to go against the grain here and say that this struck me as a neither a particularly well-organised reference book, nor a particularly readable narrative. The chapters were choppy and jumped back and forth between excerpts of folklore stories and the author's own dry detailing of archaeological facts, and only the barest minimum of connection was drawn between the two. I assume the conclusion I was meant to draw is that fairy sightings are often reported near ancient burial sites, but this is stated so minimally as to be inconsequential to a reader of any intelligence. The entire book offers no more explanation or conclusion than this line from its blurb: "Many explanations have been given for British fairies, but the most popular is that they are the souls of the pre-Christian dead, living in pagan strongholds like Bronze Age barrows or Iron Age hillforts." If I had handed in an essay at university with this little elaboration on the opening statement, I would have been laughed out of class, and I expect better from an author with an entire book's worth of space to hypothesise and present an argument.

However, this still could have worked as a simple collection of tales, but the organisation is the most egregious issue for me. It would have made sense to detail the location and contents of a barrow, then add stories from that area that can be linked to these aspects, but instead the chapters seem to be organised loosely into a collection of barrow descriptions, then a collection of stories, without any actual connective tissue. The author themself admits that the first two chapters, purely of archaeological description and no tales, were an afterthought. I'm also not sure why so many stories of saints and bishops were included, since these seem to have little to do with the general theme. This book just seems to be trying to do too many things at once, and for me, it failed at all of it.

Fabulous look at the history of faeries and other magical creatures in Britain. I love these tales and it's nice to see more research being done on them. I'm a big fan of Katharine Brigg's collection of faery tales and this one is right up there with hers! I'll be sure to recommend the book and even purchase it for my own collection. Lots of research went into the writing of this book. Kudos to Robin Melrose!

A fascinating and in-depth history of Britain’s folkloric origins through the ages. Exhaustively researched and written in a formal, informative tone, the book ties British history to its many varied practices, beliefs, and superstitions.

This is a book to be consulted often, also a very interesting read on folklore, and the related topics of burial sites. It can be read once, but I am going to make the most of it and refer to it often, as a comprehensive guide. Where it is not known what the origin of a word is, the author says so, which also impresses me. I never knew so much about different areas, and I consider myself pretty clued up regarding folklore. Not just Glastonbury and Avebury, but Hampshire and East Yorkshire, are included, among others. I am very impressed by the research that must have gone into this book and I would recommend it for general reading, but also as a reference book, to return to again and again, for anyone who is interested in this topic.