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W. B. Yeats
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Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry Kindle Edition

by W. B. Yeats (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 687 ratings
The spirits of Ireland come alive in this nineteenth-century collection of stories, songs, and poems selected and edited by Nobel Prize winner W. B. Yeats.
 
Lose yourself in these supernatural tales of mischievous fairies, changelings, mysterious merrows, solitary leprechauns, shape-changing pookas, wailing banshees, ghosts, dangerous witches, helpful fairy doctors, and massive giants!
 
W. B. Yeats compiled sixty-four works from numerous Irish authors including William Allingham; Thomas Crofton Croker; William Carleton; Letitia Maclintock; Lady Wilde, mother of Oscar Wilde; and Yeats himself, resulting in a comprehensive and definitive collection. Each section features an introduction from Yeats to enlighten readers on the background of its mythical subjects and their role in Irish life and culture.
 
Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry includes “The Fairies,” “Frank Martin and the Fairies,” “The Priest’s Supper,” “The Stolen Child,” “The Soul Cages,” “Far Darrig in Donegal,” “The Piper and the Puca,” “A Lamentation for the Death of Sir Maurice Fitzgerald,” “The Black Lamb,” “The Horned Women,” “The Phantom Isle,” and more.
 
This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
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  1. Print length
    341 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  4. Publication date
    August 15, 2017
  5. File size
    3.6 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Fearing the loss of Celtic myth and mystery in his native Ireland, W.B. Yeats compiled and edited these tales of fairies, ghosts, banshees, witches and queens. Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry is a treasure trove of stories taken straight from the Irish oral tradition and preserved for generations of readers, enthusiasts, and believers alike.

About the Author

William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) was an Irish poet, playwright, and author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. Yeats published his first works in the mid-1880s while still a student; however, his most famous works, such as The Tower and Words for Music Perhaps and Other Poems, were not published until after he received the Nobel. He teamed up with Lady Gregory to develop plays in Ireland and soon founded the Irish National Theatre Society. He has since inspired poets and playwrights around the world.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0749D5GG1
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (August 15, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 15, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.6 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 341 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 687 ratings

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W. B. Yeats

W. B. Yeats

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
687 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book preserves traditional Irish fairy tales passed down through generations, making it highly recommended reading. They appreciate the poetry, with one noting it's translated from Gaelic or verbatim. The book receives positive feedback for its organization and pacing, with one customer describing it as a large project. However, the formatting receives criticism, with one customer describing it as the "worst formatted thing."

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34 customers mention "Storytelling tradition"30 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate how the book preserves traditional tales passed down through generations, describing it as a fabulous collection of Irish folklore.

"...Yeat's mission was to compile and preserve the traditional tales and folk spirit of the people of his Island, and who better than Ireland's most..." Read more

"...course on Irish literature both because the tales are a good introduction to Irish folklore and because the tales demonstrate how the early-twentieth..." Read more

"...This book is an excellent source of raw, unfiltered Celtic faerie tales, just one step away from the original Gaelic...." Read more

"The Irish are the greatest writers & story tellers...." Read more

19 customers mention "Reading quality"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly recommended and a pleasure to read, with one customer noting its value for research on other-world phenomena.

"...the Victorian English-speaking cities, the stories themselves are well chosen to represent a wide range of common Irish folk tales and mythical..." Read more

"...Good dream material to read right before bedtime, haha. And the Kindle version was fairly cheap." Read more

"...Also, I'd never heard any of these before. They're eerie and awesome and the poems are pretty." Read more

"...Fabulous book and highly recommended reading. Would gladly read this book to my grandchildren for their bedtime stories." Read more

7 customers mention "Poetry"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the poetry in the book, with one noting it is translated from Gaelic or verbatim, while another finds it more literary than authentic collections.

"...The stories themselves, moreover, are indeed more literary than perhaps more authentic collections, such as Kevin Danaher's, and are therefore a..." Read more

"...They're eerie and awesome and the poems are pretty." Read more

"...half the fun of reading these is immersing yourself in the charming writing style...." Read more

"...The language makes it clear that they were either translated from Gaelic or verbatim. Above average for authenticity...." Read more

3 customers mention "Organization"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the organization of the book, with one noting it is arranged by kind.

"...It is an excellent collection of myths & stories, organized by kind and well prepared...." Read more

"...Going to pass it on for other family members to read. Nice assortment of work." Read more

"Arranged Terribly..." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one describing it as a large project.

"...a number of volumes of Irish folk and fairy tales and this is the most complete...." Read more

"This book has been a large project that collected stories from the Victorian age and older...." Read more

"excellent compilation but cannot be read in a single "sitting"..." Read more

3 customers mention "Formatting"0 positive3 negative

Customers express dissatisfaction with the formatting of the book, describing it as unprofessionally published.

"I LOVE this story- Yeats is the BEST. However, this copy is horrible and awkward and the worst formatted thing i have ever seen...." Read more

".../edition, framed the entire book in 96 pages of letter size paper, unformatted an in 7 points size typeface! THE BOOK BECAME UNREADABLE!..." Read more

"This product is unprofessionally published...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • gypsygirl
    5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure to Ireland and all who love her
    Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This volume (and other compilations by Yeats) stands out head and shoulders above other books on Irish folk and fairy tales. Yeat's mission was to compile and preserve the traditional tales and folk spirit of the people of his Island, and who better than Ireland's most famous poet to have an ear for language and a good tale? The reviewer who complained that because of the archaic dialect this wasn't an "easy read" is missing the point. That said, if one takes the time, one can "enter into" the dialect, hear it lilting in your mind, and access these wonderful tales fairly readily.

    I own a number of volumes of Irish folk and fairy tales and this is the most complete. I love the fact that this book, and Yeats' other volumes, draws upon tales he collected himself from the Irish peasantry of his day. Many of them are traditional tales long told through the years; others are personal experiences of the narrator. Some of them became themes in Yeats' own poetry. What a great gift to the Irish people, to those of us like myself who are of Irish heritage, and to all who appreciate the wonderful old Irish tales.
    31 people found this helpful
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  • Labhrás Mac Muiris
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent literary introduction to Irish folk tales
    Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2005
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    While Yeats relied on mostly 19th century literary versions of folktales, which often distorted the stories somewhat in the interest of catering to the Victorian English-speaking cities, the stories themselves are well chosen to represent a wide range of common Irish folk tales and mythical creatures. The stories themselves, moreover, are indeed more literary than perhaps more authentic collections, such as Kevin Danaher's, and are therefore a little more interesting to read. I plan to use this text in a course on Irish literature both because the tales are a good introduction to Irish folklore and because the tales demonstrate how the early-twentieth-century Irish Renaissance adopted, adapted, and remolded the Irish Gaelic tradition.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Mike Lewis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good primary Irish folklore source
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    It's funny that Yeats is mostly remembered as a poet today, considering how many other cultural things he did at the time. This book is an excellent source of raw, unfiltered Celtic faerie tales, just one step away from the original Gaelic. Good dream material to read right before bedtime, haha. And the Kindle version was fairly cheap.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Judith
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Irish Writers - Yeats
    Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2023
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    The Irish are the greatest writers & story tellers. Yeats is world renowned as one of Ireland's best so you can't go wrong by buying this treasure trove!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Gran intro
    3.0 out of 5 stars cannot be read in one sitting.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2023
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    Really interesting collection of stories and legends and folk tales all touching on the supernatural. It has taken a while to read, because each story stands a bit alone.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Alexandra French
    5.0 out of 5 stars getting to know some fun folk tales from the people who came before me ...
    Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    As someone with Irish ancestry, getting to know some fun folk tales from the people who came before me might've known brings a cool sense of connection. Also, I'd never heard any of these before. They're eerie and awesome and the poems are pretty.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Atma Weapon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Variety of Tales
    Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed most of the stories collected here, and I thought T. Crofton Croker had the best of the lot. Soul Cages was my favorite, but Master & Man and Daniel O'Rourke were also creative. The banshee tales were sleep-inducing with realistic but tedious exposition (like some Edgar Allan Poe short stories). Yeats tries to sort the tales into categories, adding a bit of background before each section, but it seems to me that a lot of these tales defy such easy organization. For instance, the Kildare Pooka seems to me to be more of a "brownie" creature (functionally) vs. the creature featured in Douglas Hyde's The Piper & the Puca. But, hey, that's why this is a book of folklore and not a coherent mythological system. I also noted some of Patrick Kennedy's tales are virtually the same as similar tales found in the Brothers Grimm, but I would say upwards of 90% of the tales in this collection were stories I hadn't encountered before.

    Also, there really was no leprechaun tale here, but we're informed they are of the "solitary fairy" type and so can be expected to wear red jackets, not green as is commonly supposed. But don't fret, there are plenty of fun tales here even without leprechauns! There are witches, pucas, cluricauns (alcoholic leprechauns), enchanted pudding, and all sorts of craziness. Plus, half the fun of reading these is immersing yourself in the charming writing style.

    There are a handful of poems, too, but I skipped them and just read the stories.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • jennifer booth
    5.0 out of 5 stars It was a grand book!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2020
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    I loved mythology. Being of Irish decent, I wanted a book that would be a great study guide. I found it.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Alexandre Toqueville
    5.0 out of 5 stars Yates l'Unique
    Reviewed in France on June 11, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    La poésie de Yates demande un état d'esprit particulier. Mais lorsque l'effort est fait ... quel bonheur. Je recommande cette lecture à quiconque aime encore prendre son temps. Yates est unique et on ne sort part indemme de son univers.
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  • Leila
    5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic tales
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2020
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    Was a gift for my mother who is Irish & she she says its a great book.
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  • Marianne Pedersen
    5.0 out of 5 stars celtic traditional stories at their best.
    Reviewed in Australia on April 12, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Clasdic Celtic folk tales. Written so well in the vernacular of Ireland and Scotland, thst I can hear my grannyvas she sat by the fireside telling her tales to the little ones.. Charming and eminently readable.
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  • maxim
    5.0 out of 5 stars preziosa raccolta
    Reviewed in Italy on February 25, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Non è un racconto ma una preziosa e interessante raccolta di antiche storie. Leggende, fiabe e filastrocche in versi del ricco mondo culturale gaelico provenienti dalla tradizione folkloristica irlandese.
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  • Digital Panache
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good assortment of stories
    Reviewed in India on November 14, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Yeats has written a great book with a very good assortment of tales. I really enjoyed all the tales in some sections like "Witches, fairy doctors" and " Saints, Priests". The best part about this book is that the author has arranged and sorted the stories in various segments and even then the stories do not seem repetitive and rather new and interesting.
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    Digital Panache
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    A good assortment of stories

    Reviewed in India on November 14, 2018
    Yeats has written a great book with a very good assortment of tales. I really enjoyed all the tales in some sections like "Witches, fairy doctors" and " Saints, Priests". The best part about this book is that the author has arranged and sorted the stories in various segments and even then the stories do not seem repetitive and rather new and interesting.
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