The Good People: New Fairylore Essays [Paperback]

Peter Narvaez (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813109396 | ISBN-13: 978-0813109398 | Publication Date: November 6, 1997

" Whether called "the good people," "the little people," or simply "them," fairies are familiar from their appearances in Shakespeare's plays, Disney's films, and points in between. In many cultures, however, fairies are not just the stuff of distant legend or literature: they are real creatures with supernatural powers. The Good People presents nineteen essays that focus on the actual fairies of folklore -- fairies of past and living traditions who affected, and still affect, people's lives in myriad ways.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A book certain to become a classic reference work." -- Australian Folklore

"An extraordinary study of the 'little people' by an impressive assembly of eminent scholars.... Overall, the work features the best current thought on fairylore." -- Come-All-Ye

"A notable step forward in the international study of fairylore." -- Folklore

"A useful and important collection.... It leaves one with a provocative folkloristic perspective on fairylore." -- Journal of American Folklore

Product Details

• Paperback: 546 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (November 6, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813109396
• ISBN-13: 978-0813109398
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #598,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly Recommended, January 6, 2001

By 

Skip Church "SkipChurch" (Lawrenceville, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Good People: New Fairylore Essays (Paperback)

Little serious work on the fairy faith has been done in recent times, but this collection of scholarly essays makes up for the lack. As is often the case in this fascinating area of folklore, a few of the essays make you marvel at the enduring and oddly consistent character of the accounts. It gives me a wee chill to read recordings of interviews with Scottish schoolchildren done in the 1970s, and realize that they repeat notions noted among Welshmen by Sir John Rhys fully three-quarters of a century before. An excellent, entertaining and scholarly book that should be in the collection of any folklorist interested in the fairy faith.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fairylore Lives!, April 3, 2000

By 

Francine Nicholson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Good People: New Fairylore Essays (Paperback)

Most books on fairylore are collections first published in the nineteenth century or draw primarily from the author's imagination. Those wishing to know more must fall back on scholarly journals that may not be readily available to most readers. This book makes such studies available in an affordable form that you will reread many times. The studies in this book reflect beliefs and attitudes among people of the late twentieth century in communities of maritime Canada as well as Celtic countries. What is most illuminating is the consistency between recent attitudes and those collected earlier.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Good People: New Fairylore Essays, March 12, 2007

By 

Robert B. Lelieuvre (Great Falls, MT, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Good People: New Fairylore Essays (Paperback)

Peter Narvez has written a book for those of us who are Celtic and for those of us who wish to see the Other, be it fairy or alien, in a different, perhaps more complete, way. The book is comprehensive to the date of its publication. It offers a number of points for consideration or additonal study. While some essays are stronger than others, and some are clearer than others, in the main, "The Good People" is a wonderful treatment of the Otherworld as it is known in the non-UFO community. Along with folkloric treatments of the Other, Vallee's "Passport to Magonia" and Thompson's "Angels and Aliens," it should be mandatory reading for all of us who are concerned that the debate on extraordinary experiences and alien encounters is too narrow, too full of heat with little light, and too parochial.