"Who are the fairies? In this brilliant, ambitious book, Francis Young surveys the fairy question over 2,000 years of European history. With something of the angel about them and something of the wild, fairies were always morally ambiguous. If they seem to have departed, it is not because we know better, but because we have chosen to see differently." Jeremy Harte, author of Cloven Country: The Devil and the English Landscape and Fairy Encounters in Medieval England "Francis Young offers us a history of fairies from prehistoric godlings to neo-pagan darlings. Particularly interesting is the internationalization of a British reflex of the social supernatural via photography, film, and children's literature. Fairies proves a worthy successor to Young's earlier and provocative Twilight of the Godlings ." Simon Young, author of Magical Folk: British and Irish Fairies, 500 AD to the Present "Dr Francis Young's history of fairies in Europe, the Americas, and Australasia is a richly rewarding journey through folklore, theology, and cultural memory to the present day, tracking the elusive, ever-shifting presence of fairies. A fascinating, comprehensive, and thoroughly enjoyable exploration which invites us to reconsider our perception of the world.

" Jo Hickey-Hall, folklorist, author, and host of the Modern Fairy Sightings podcast "There is no shortage of books on fairies, but Young has written a must-read, wide-ranging survey. The book is original in its approach and impressive in its scope. Young shows how fairy history has much to tell us about religion, culture, and the human condition." Owen Davies, University of Hertfordshire.