Everyman's Book of English Folk Tales

The tradition of storytelling is as old as the spoken word, but it is as strong today as it has ever been, fulfilling a deeply rooted psychological need in all of us.From the great mass of folk tale that exists, Sybil Marshall has chosen a wide variety of stories, drawn from every age and from all parts of England. We have her tales of the little people and of giants, of the Devil and the saints, supernatural and domestic and moral tales, all superbly retold in the true tradition of the storyteller, with extraneous detail or vivi turn of phrase added on the spur of the moment to enhance suspense or exaggerate character.Fabulous indeed some of them may seem, but the folk who preserved these tales, generation after generation, would never have denied them. They have always grown from some germ of belief, changed and shaped as the tale is handed down. In order to appreciate and enjoy them to the full, one has only to 'suspend disbelief' and surrender completely to the sheer pleasure of reading and being entertained.