Perilous Enchantment
The True History of Faeries
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Granta Books
Publishing:8th Oct '26
£18.99
This title is due to be published on 8th October, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
From the author of The Dead of Winter, a revelatory and bewitching history of fairies and the ever-changing role they have played in our imagination
We often think of them as tiny, glittering creatures fluttering about in pastel tulle, but fairies haven't always been so benign. Here, historian Sarah Clegg explores the true history of fairies, and the menace and ambiguity that always lurks within the shimmering fantasy. This history takes us from elf fires in Iceland to a burial mound in Ireland; and from a stream in Cottingley where two sisters created a fairy hoax to a modern-day fairy ball in Los Angeles. Along the way, Clegg reveals fairies' connection to ancient gods and their role in the witch-trials, and examines their seductive presence in romantasy today. This is a story of how fairy myths grew and spread across Europe, of how they changed and developed, and why we have, for centuries, been so enthralled by the danger and enchantment of the fae.
Inviting, charming, funny, sometimes horrifying and always informative, a wonderfully personal and lively introduction to the world of fairies -- Marion Gibson, author of * Witchcraft *
Reads like a friend regaling you with tales over a cup of tea or in a firelit pub. It's fascinating, often funny, and bursting with knowledge. This book will give you new favourite stories and make you see fairies like you never have before -- Tabitha Stanmore
Clegg explores the true history of fairies with all its disturbing ambiguity and sometimes downright menace, examining how fairy myths grew and spread across Europe, and why, in these romantasy times, we are still so enthralled to the fae. An enchanting book with a particularly witty use of footnotes * Bookseller *
A fascinating insight into the history of the fae and the supernatural; Perilous Enchantment will enthral you and have you checking the shadows and moonlight at the same time -- Julie Kagawa
Ambitious and wide-ranging Perilous Enchantment is a unique gateway into a fascinating world of fairies. Sarah Clegg isn't afraid to lead her reader into the more disturbing reaches of this subject to explore how the magical realm reflects our human joys and struggles. I love it - highly readable, rigorously researched and underpinned by the writer's personal passion for the subject, adding up to insights relevant to our times -- Jess Kidd
This brilliant book is as enchanting as the fairies themselves. Enthralling and often very funny (with laugh-out-loud commentary in the footnotes), it's left me feeling I understand the fairies and their millennia-old story for the first time -- Fiona Robertson
Sarah Clegg leads us through a slant history of humanity, as told through the glamour and horror of our Otherworlds. Perceptive and captivating. It had me in thrall -- Clare Pollard
A fantastic compendium of fairy lore -- Kim Willis
Ambitious and wide-ranging Perilous Enchantment is a unique gateway into a fascinating world of fairies... highly readable, rigorously researched and underpinned by the writer's personal passion for the subject, adding up to insights relevant to our times -- Jess Kidd
ISBN: 9781803512839
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
352 pages