This guide to the weird and wonderful world of British folklore offers much more than a compendium of curiosities. It explains what folklore really is and how it continues to grow and flourish in the twenty-first century.

‘The best introduction to contemporary British folklore.’ – History Today
‘Essential reading for anyone interested in the subject.’ – Shiny New Books
‘It’s worth having.’ – Fortean Times

In this ground-breaking book, two leading experts expose the roots of British folklore, past and present.

Owen Davies and Ceri Houlbrook investigate folklore in all its remarkable variations, from village rituals and fairy tales right through to UFO legends and internet fanfiction. Travelling through a landscape of witches, wizards and wicker men, they reveal how the idea of folklore first emerged and how it has evolved over time.

The book’s key message is that folklore is much more than the fossilised remains of a distant, rural past. It is a living tradition that is forever being transformed and renewed.