{"product_id":"fairies-a-history-9781509566778","title":"Fairies: A History","description":"\u003cp\u003eMany people think they know what fairies are, what a fairy looks like, and how a fairy is expected to behave. Francis Young's new history of fairies demonstrates that the truth about belief in fairies is far stranger than clichéd images of tiny figures with wings and wands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore the rise of the 'small winged fairy' in the nineteenth century, the category of fairies included a vast range of supernatural human-like creatures, from the elves of Scandinavia and the aos sí of Ireland to the vilas of the Balkans and the \u003ci\u003efadas\u003c\/i\u003e of Iberia. Young traces the ancient origins of belief in such creatures and how it adapted to the rise of Christianity and then flourished in medieval Europe, before being transformed - but not destroyed - by the upheavals of the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and even European colonial expansion, which made fairies a global phenomenon. He concludes this uniquely wide-ranging history by reflecting on the surprising ways in which fairy belief endures in our apparently disenchanted contemporary world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo one who reads this brilliant tour through the enchanted pathways of fairyland will ever look at the winged creatures of contemporary popular culture - or the woods at the bottom of their garden - in the same way again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Francis Young\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Polity Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/26\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.55lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.20w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781509566778\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrancis Young\u003c\/b\u003e is a tutor at Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education. He writes on the history of religion, belief, and folklore, and has written, edited, or translated over twenty books, including \u003ci\u003eTwilight of the Godlings\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMagic in Merlin's Realm\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Francis Young \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":48363627544733,"sku":"9781509566778","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_4570a8f9-199b-42b6-99ca-946632c5e9dc.jpg?v=1780428070","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/fairies-a-history-9781509566778","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}