Mystery and excitement abound in this lively collection of fairy tales, folklore and legends, which celebrate Scotland's enormously rich oral tradition and offers a carefully chosen combination of old favourites such as Tam Lin, Thomas Rymer and Adam Bell, as well as more modern stories by master story-tellers like Andrew Lang, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and John Buchan.

This book, compiled by Sir George Douglas, contains not just fairytales but also tales of kelpies, brownies, stories of animals - foxes, crows, frogs and stories of mermen and comic tales as well. Contained herein are 85 stories like: The Story of the White Pet, The Fisherman and the Mermen, The Seal-Catcher's Adventure, The Frog and the Crow, Habitrot, The Wee Bunnock and many, many more. In the days long before the advent of radio and television, the arrival of a story-teller in a village was an important event. As soon as it became known, there would be a rush to the house where he was lodged, and every available seat--on bench, table, bed, beam, or the floor would quickly be appropriated. And then, for hours together--just like some first-rate actor on a stage--the story-teller would hold his audience spell-bound. Campbell of Isla, who gathered and penned the Popular Tales of the West Highlands series in the 1870's, records that in his day the practice of story-telling still lingered in the remote Western Islands of Barra. Maybe, just maybe, there are a few alive today who remember this custom being continued at Poolewe in Ross-shire where the young people used to assemble at night to hear the old ones recite the tales which they had learned from their fore-fathers. This book is a treasure chest of classic Scottish Folklore, and will make fascinating reading for those interested in folklore in general. So take some time out and travel back to a period before television and radio, a time when tales were passed on orally--at the drying kilns, at the communal well and in homes. YESTERDAYS BOOKS for TODAYS CHARITIES

Brownies, kelpies, mermen, trolls, and other supernatural creatures magically appear in a series of delightful tales to assist, annoy, and otherwise meddle in the lives of simple Scottish country folk.

“I wish that the Brown Bull of Ringlewood would come and carry me off.” In this collection of folk and fairy tales from the Scottish Highlands, we are transported to an enchanted world of persecuted heroines and courageous heroes, scheming stepmothers and monstrous beasts, swan maidens and talking cats, murderous robbers and thieving giants, benevolent fairies and mysterious strangers, and much more… Whether it is a tale of romance or revenge, legend or magic, this unabridged anthology—collected by the folklorist, Peter Buchan—has a story for everyone and is essential reading for lovers of classic Scottish folktales. Tales: The Red Etin (ATU-303: The Twins or Blood-Brothers) The Young Prince (ATU-851: The Riddle of the Suitor) The History of Mr Greenwood (ATU-955: The Robber Bridegroom) The Cruel Stepmother (ATU-706: The Maiden Without Hands) Rashen Coatie (ATU-510B: Unnatural Love + ATU-511: One-Eye, Two-Eyes, and Three-Eyes) The Brown Bull of Ringlewood (ATU-425A: The Search for the Lost Husband) The Thriftless Wife (ATU-1541: For the Long Winter + ATU-1653: The Robbers Under a Tree) Green Sleeves (ATU-313: The Magic Flight) The Princess with the White Petticoat (ATU-510: Cinderella and Catskin + ATU-886: The Girl Who Could Not Keep the Secret) The Black Cat (ATU-326A: Soul Released From Torment) The Widow’s Son and the Old Man (ATU-302: The Ogre’s Heart in the Egg) The Widow’s Son and the King’s Daughter (ATU-300: The Dragon Slayer) The King of Morocco (ATU-325: The Magician and His Pupil) The Princess of the Blue Mountains (ATU-400: The Man on a Quest for His Lost Wife)

In this wonderful collection of stories by some of Ireland's finest writers, including Carleton, Yeats and Lady Wilde, a legion of fairy folk - leprechauns, giants, witches and mermaids - help, hinder, charm and terrify their mortal neighbours. The fairy tales of Ireland are part of one of the richest folklore traditions in the world. These much-loved tales include the story of the farmer who offends the fairies by building on their dancing ground; the king who loses his wife in a chess game and the smith who learns his skill at working brass and iron during his seven-year apprenticeship to the giant Mahon MacMahon. The heroes and saints of the Celtic sagas are here as well, in beautifully written versions of the old bardic stories of Finn, Deirdre, Cuchulain and Brigid. Wielding the power to enthral and enchant, these ancient tales open the door to a strangely familiar world of mystery and magic.