The Folktale/Fairytale Shelf

Into the Fairy Hill: Classic Folktales of the Scottish Highlands
Michael S. Newton
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476690025, $39.95, PB, 276pp

https://www.amazon.com/Into-Fairy-Hill-Folktales-Highlands/dp/1476690022

Synopsis: Headstrong heroines and hot-tempered chieftains, loch
monsters and hill fairies, cattle raids and clan feuds, wise animals
and foolish saints: the Scottish Highlands' folktales date back
centuries and preserve the history and beliefs of a people deeply
rooted in their land and culture.

Oral traditions connect the modern world with the hearts and minds of
Scottish Highlanders across the ages, bringing their world to life in
vivid detail. With the publication of "Into the Fairy Hill: Classic
Folktales of the Scottish Highlands" Professor Michael S. Newton is an
anthology that includes new and approachable translations of folk
tales from the Scottish Highlands and Nova Scotia, providing extensive
commentary on this rich storytelling tradition.

Of special note is that each story is annotated with information about
its origins and any insights into its meaning. The original Scottish
Gaelic texts, collected from a wide variety of rare and obscure
sources, are provided in an appendix.

Critique: An impressive work of original scholarship that is
informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusions of
anAppendix of Original Gaelic Stories, four pages of Notes, a four
page Bibliography, and a two page Index, "Into the Fairy Hill: Classic
Folktales of the Scottish Highlands" is an unreservedly recommended
addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library
Scottish Folklore/Mythology collections and as a textbook for
supplemental curriculum Folklore/Fairytale, Mythology studies lists.
It should be noted that "Into the Fairy Hill: Classic Folktales of the
Scottish Highlands" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $17.99).

Editorial Note: Michael S. Newton
(https://independent.academia.edu/MichaelNewton" was an Assistant
Professor in the Celtic Studies department of St Francis Xavier
University in Nova Scotia from 2008 to 2013. He has written a
multitude of books and articles about Gaelic culture and history and
is a leading authority on Scottish Gaelic heritage in North America.

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