This handsome hardback book of Scottish Fairytales focuses on myths and legends drawn from the storytelling traditions of the highlands and islands. The 17 tales retold by Philip Wilson in this volume are from both Gaelic and Scots traditions. There are tales of humble peasants, wise royalty, monsters, castles, industrious tailors, princesses, demons, selkies, sad widows, enchantment and more, each with numerous colorful illustrations.
With Scottish folk and fairy tales, regional styles emerged that were connected to geography, weather, history, and language. As folklorist Neil Philip points out in the introduction, the different linguistic origin of the tale is often reflected in its length and complexity or ornamental style (with tales collected in Gaelic often tending to be more elaborate). Storytelling was a kind of pre-industrial entertainment, and as such, traveling tradespeople were often expected to have a rich store of tales to share with new audiences. These tales are all nicely condensed to make for excellent nighttime reading for young children. 88 pages. hardback.
