A Dictionary of Fairies

Katharine Briggs’s A Dictionary of Fairies is a magnificently researched reference to the creatures within British Folklore and Mythology. It has introduced me to an abundance of characters such as Black Annis; a cannibal hag with a blue face and iron claws and the Nuckelavee; an Orcadian sea-monster who took the form of a centaur with one fiery red eye and a mouth as wide as a whale’s! I think this book is now sadly out of print but I managed to source a copy from ebay. 

- Laura Manson

Phantasmagoria

I just bought Phantasmagoria, by Terry Breverton. Apparently the title is the name given to the art of creating supernatural illusions and the gathering of phantoms or fantasies. The name was first given to a ghost show in the 18th Century, where a modified lantern projected frightening images.

This book covers 250 myths, legends and monsters and is a great starting point for our first mini exhibition 'Supernatural'. My favourite tale so far is about Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed, a prolific 17th Century female serial killer. She killed and was responsible for the deaths of at least 80 young girls in the name of 'witchcraft'.

– Kate McLelland 

Book inspiration . . .

We have been exploring the subject of folklore, myths and legends for several years now and thought we would start sharing some of the wonderful books we have discovered along the way. The one we continually go back to is Readers Digest's Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain. 


The book is split into three sections. The first first covers ancient superstitions, creatures, plants and festivals. The second section covers regional stories from across Great Britain. The final section describes key figures in British folklore.

The book is illustrated throughout and is a great starting point if you want to research how previous illustrators have tackled the theme. I don't think it is in print, so you need to look in second hand books shops, ebay or Amazon Marketplace.

– Kate McLelland