The Secret Commonwealth

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In the late seventeenth century, Robert Kirk, an Episcopalian minister in the Scottish Highlands, sought to gather his parishioners' captivating tales of elves, fairies, fauns, doppelgängers, wraiths, and other beings that he described as "a middle nature betwixt man and angel." Kirk viewed these stories as compelling evidence of a supernatural realm existing alongside our own, which he believed warranted exploration as much as the New World. He articulated these views in The Secret Commonwealth, an essay left in manuscript form at his death in 1692. This rare work blends science, religion, and folklore, infused with the curiosity and wonder reminiscent of Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy and Sir Thomas Browne's writings. The Secret Commonwealth stands out not only as a significant document in the history of ideas but also as a captivating study of enchantment. First published in 1815 by Sir Walter Scott and later reedited in 1893 by Andrew Lang, it has been hard to find, often available only in scholarly editions. The new edition modernizes Kirk's spelling and punctuation and includes a comprehensive introduction by critic and historian Marina Warner, highlighting Kirk's unique contributions and the enduring presence of fairies in contemporary thought.