Customer Reviews

Scottish Folklore

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I ordered this book expecting to read stories from Scottish folklore. That is not the type of book this is. Instead it is like a "dictionary" to look up terms from folklore. There is an occasional, short narrative but this is the exception rather than the rule.

That being said, the book is informative and did teach me a bit about the various genres within Scottish folklore. This made the book worthwhile for me. So to did a few historical vignettes that helped to explain the genesis of particular traditions.

One problem with the format of this book, a dictionary, is that it makes it difficult for someone who does not already know all the terms. For example, if you had never heard the term "selkie" you would not know to look under this heading to find out about these creatures. My approach was not to try and solve this problem and read it from cover to cover. Some of the entries on place names were a bit dry but easily breezed over. The book is well written enough to be able to be read in this manner as a learning experience.

In short, this book is not light reading but it was interesting for someone seeking to learn a bit more about this subject.