The Watkins Book of English Folktales

by Neil Philip

The most authentic, comprehensive and highly entertaining collection of English folktales, with scholarly notes from a folktale expert and a foreword from Neil Gaiman.
This is a golden treasury of over one hundred English folktales captured in the form in which they were first collected in past centuries. Read these classic tales as they would have been told when storytelling was a living art – when the audience believed in boggarts and hobgoblins, local witches and will-o’-the-wisps, ghosts and giants, cunning foxes and royal frogs. Find “Jack the Giantkiller”, “Tom Tit Tot” and other quintessentially English favourites, alongside interesting borrowings, such as an English version of the Grimms’ “Little Snow White” – as well as bedtime frighteners, including “Captain Murderer”, as told to Charles Dickens by his childhood nurse.

Neil Philip has provided a full introduction and source notes on each story that illustrate each tale’s journey from mouth to page, and what has happened to them on the way. These tales rank among the finest English short stories of all time in their richness of metaphor and plot and their great verbal dash and daring.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories, Folklore, Mythology, Fairy Tales, Short Story Collection

400 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2022

About the author

Neil Philip is a writer, folklorist and poet. He is married to the artist Emma Bradford, and lives in the Cotswolds, England. Neil loves words, poetry, and the art of storytelling in all its forms. Among his many books are A Fine Anger, Victorian Village Life, The Cinderella Story, The Penguin Book of English Folktales, Mythology (with Philip Wilkinson), The Great Mystery, War and the Pity of War, The New Oxford Book of Childrens Verse, The Tale of Sir Gawain, Horse Hooves & Chicken Feet, and The Adventures of Odysseus. Neil has contributed to numerous journals, including The Times, and Signal: Approaches to Childrens Books, and has also written for stage, screen, and radio. His work has won numerous awards and honours, including the Aesop Award of the American Folklore Society and the Literary Criticism Book Award of the Childrens Literature Association. Outside of the storied world, Neil is passionate about cats, art, music, France, food & wine, and friendship.

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of English folktales is beautifully presented with added commentary on each of the stories including their origin in oral traditions. Many are familiar eg Jack and the beanstalk, or are variations on well known fairy tales eg The small tooth dog is a version of Beauty and the beast.
A very enjoyable collection for someone like me interested in folk and fairytales.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

great anthology of classic fairy tales! i grew up being obsessed with all things Grimm so this was a really fun nostalgic trip for me and some interesting background on the stories

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 4 out of 5]

England has a great culture of letters, but when it comes to folklore, people often don't think further than Jack and the Beanstalk. In this collection of English folktales though, we can see that the isles have a great tradition of oral storytelling beyond it.

In my ongoing pursuit of folklore from around the world, I never really stopped to consider English folktales until this book reminded me that my knowledge of it was in fact pretty scanty. Over the course of about 400 pages, I read everything kind of folktale, from your classic fairytales to stories about giants, mermaids, and ghosts, and even popular jokes and anecdotes.

The really cool thing about this book is that there's been a real effort to preserve the way in which they were originally told, with information about how they were collected and about their tellers. The stories are generally grouped together by type, making for interesting contrasts as one goes through the various takes on similar subjects and tropes. It was especially fascinating for me to read the stories collected from nursemaids and nannies, which they often told their young charges - none of them are your typical Mother Goose fare, but often quite adventurous and even horrifying at times. 

However, I did find the dialect in some of the stories made them almost impossible to read, for example 'The Flyin' Childer' - I wish there were translated versions for these, or at least better annotations. I also wish there was more commentary on the short jokes and anecdotes that were collected in the volume, touching upon why these were the ones collected out of the many that must have been doubtless told throughout England, as well as why they were the ones that were retold so often.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Kathy Shimpock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an extensive collection of English folktales, with 369 annotated stories included. Each story begins with an introduction that provides a discussion of variants, source (from folklore), tale type, and narrator (with date and location). Stories are from the 19th to early 20th century and include many of the “Jack Tales.” The text contains original dialects. Annotations are provided along with further readings. It is an essential find for folklorists, storytellers, and anyone who loves old tales. The book is an updated edition.

[William Riverdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an undertaking. I promised to read one story a night until I would have completed it and then fell off somewhere towards the end. These few days, I mustered up enough strength to force myself out of my inertia and then started again, albeit I read more than one story some days when I saw the length of one lesser than what I expected. And now I have finally finished it! ...And yet I haven't. Fairytales, folktales, they are never to kept away and forgotten. They are to be returned to again and again over and over with delight and comfort. And there are many tales in this book just for that. I have my favourites, somebody else will have theirs, but certainly we will read and find something in every tale no matter how strange or familiar. Take the undertaking. Take one every night like medicine, and in many of those nights, you will be surprised to find it had turned to a sweet on your tongue. After all, isn't that what's a wonder tale about?

[Ariel Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 Stars:
Anyone who enjoys tales and stories will enjoy this collection. While some of them may not be in everyone's taste and to their liking it is a nice array nonetheless. I plan on purchasing a physical copy of the book for my collection. This book gives for a pleasant source of entertainment and can be read anytime of the year.

If you enjoy little tales you could read all at once or once a day this book would suit you well.

I won't review the format of this addition I received since it was in fact an advance copy and the printed one is cleaned up.

[Jeromine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection to have in your library if you have a scholar interest in fairytales.

Some tales made me smile, laugh and other, particularly gruesome, made me shiver.

The book itself can sometimes be challenging to read as a lot of tales are reported textually in the dialect of the original narrator. Very fun to read aloud though, but still arduous when you're not English native.

[Aria Harlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love folklore, myths and legends so I loved this book, although it was definitely heavy reading. It was very well researched and I loved reading about the origins of ones that I already knew as well as reading about ones that I didnt know

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Watkins Book of English Folktales was a lovely collection. I particularly enjoyed the fact that each tale had a note of its source (i.e. when recorded and from whom) and also end notes offering commentary on the story including other tales it links to etc. I also appreciated the preservation of dialects and accents within the texts. Many of the tales were already familiar to me, albeit sometimes in slightly altered form, but a few I had not come across before. Overall, it is a nice addition to the library of anyone interested in English folklore. It gets 4 stars from me.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[NeatMillieBliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of stories, some familiar and some new, often written in dialect as though the reader were listening to them told around the hearth or tucked up in bed. Sure to appeal to the casual reader, as well as the scholar, they include afterwards to the stories detailing origins, archetypes and variations. A must have for any folk/fairytale library.

[Jenna Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Watkins Book of English Folktales is a well written and researched collection of folktales and the history/lore behind them.
While perhaps more well suited to research than a straight cover to cover read the writing style is enchanting and employed to splendid effect.
Fans of such works as Grimms fairy tales looking for a more in depth look into the origin a folktale/fairy tale are in for a real treat.

* the cover is absolutely stunning as well which bares mentioning in review as it is what drew me to the text to begin with.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only a book about English folk tales but where they came from in from whom they originally came. From all the folktales told by grandmothers, servants nannies and one zone imagination and although this isn’t a complete encyclopedia of English folktales it is a good effort towards that game. There were even a few English folktales that made their way to Denmark that were in the book. From the known to the unknown and the known, unknown versions. Like snow white who stayed with Robert as a post to midgets then tell me Tik Tok who is the English version of Rumpelstiltskin. The stories go on and on and where they came from and who wrote them is just as interesting as the folktales them selves. I really enjoyed this book I love books like this and this one did not disappoint. I highly recommend it if you love folktales and history you’ll love this part. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[LayDownYourSoul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very mixed collection, with some great stories, some terrible stories and everything in between. Very interesting from a scholarly perspective and found myself researching lots of topics this book brought up.

On the other hand, kind of a strange definition of folk tale seems to have been used here. And I think many of these stories needed translation or extensive footnotes (which they don't have).

Scholarly interest
I really enjoyed learning about the scholarly research into folktales through this book. In particular, the "tale types" used to categorise stories, and the explanation of different recurring motifs. I also enjoyed the structuring, where most stories were labelled with their type and some information on the narrator.
Also loved the meta discussion of tropes and structures within stories, such as variations of "once upon a time" and other phrases to signal the start and end of stories.

Dialect and translation
The way that regional dialects were used was kind of baffling. Particularly upon reading that: at least one story had been written down in plain English, then re-written to add the semi-phonetic attempt to get across the accent of the narrator used in so many of these stories. Presumably this was done elsewhere.
I was very confused why only a few words were translated in later stories, that didn't need to be (for example, "iss" meaning "yes" after a yes or no question). While even in the same stories, parts that were very difficult to understand were not translated at all. Even looking online to try and understand what some things meant yielded no answers.
As someone who is a native level English speaker, and is familiar with regional dialects in England, many of these stories were still very difficult to understand.

What makes this a folk tale?
I did enjoy the variety of stories, from nursery rhymes to fairy tales, folk stories and legends. It does seem, though, that the defining characteristic used for a folktale here is that the story was spoken aloud. Rather than being passed down and commonly known within a certain culture or area. And this led to some inclusions I would question. A chunk of stories were just (in my opinion bad) jokes. Some were retellings of written stories including Grimms' fairy tales. Some were just a story someone told once. Still great stories, but worth noting.

Best stories
Some of my favourite stories were:
- Cap-o-rushes. Cool fairy tale I hadn't come across before
- Captain murderer. Dramatic story Charles Dickens retold after being terrorised by it as a child
- Doctor Forster. Very cool Robber Bridegroom story
- The wooden leg. Loved the flipping of the Bluebeard type of story
- The witch wife. Loved the imagery of the magic ride on white calves, and the fact the spell is broken when the protagonist is too impressed by the calf's abilities to stay quiet
- Bodmin assizes. Inexplicable desire to go somewhere ends up saving a life
- The girl in the train. Cool story of premonition
- The tell-tale sword. Very cool idea on what someone experiences if they are summoned
- Wizard of Alderley Edge. Loved the idea of what happens when King Arthur's sword is drawn
- The dead moon. The final story was one of the best, great imagery and plot

Quotes I liked
"She wandered about all day and all night, and she died" (amusingly lazy ending to a story?)
"Said if she could cry her a bowl full of tears she would give her something to see her through the world. Young girl says she can, as she is full of tears"
"You known trees could speak onst" (loved the general attitude to the past as magical)

[Juli Rahel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folktales are a delight, in whatever shape they come, either as legends, scraps of tales, or full on fairy tales. Meanwhile England is known for its literary history, its Chaucer's, Shakespeare's, Milton's, and more. But how goes it with folktales in England? Well, Neil Philip is here with a new edition of this stunning collection! Thanks to Watkins Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My sincere apologies for the delay in reviewing.

The Watkins Book of English Folktales is a delightful collection of folktales, but what attracted me most was the promise of source notes and a full introduction. I've been obsessed with how folk tales work for years, as it reminds me so much of how fluid and flexible medieval literature is. In his introduction, Neil Philip traces the history of folklorists, of how stories were noted down, and how the way they are approached now has changed. I also appreciated the "updated intro" for this edition, in which Philip revises some of his opinions or expands upon some points. I found a lot of very interesting things in this Introduction and it definitely set me up well for reading the stories themselves. The notes which accompany the stories are also interesting, either by offering other tellings, information on how it was noted down, and more. For me, the value of this collection truly lies in Philip's instrument around it and it is a definite resource for those interested in storytelling.

There are countless tales in this collection, some of which are familiar, some of which sounds like something you might have heard, and some completely new. 'The Witch Wife' is one of my favourite tales, dated to the 1920s, in which a man marries a witch without suspecting it. She takes him along on a midnight jaunt and he learns a lesson about listening to his wife. I also enjoyed 'The Green Lady', a story of the folktale-type to which 'Frau Holle' also belongs, I think. A story I wish I could have understood was 'The Flyin' Childer', which sounds amazingly gory and gruesome. It has been transmitted in a Lincolnshire accent, however, and I struggled getting through it. However, that is part of the joy of The Watkins Book of English Folktales, that it truly reflects different regions of England. This is not the kind of collection you can sit down with and finish, in the sense that there is just too much there. It is much more fun to dip into it by seeing what strikes your fancy in the Index. The stories are a great mix between different kind of tales which either have a moral or are just short and dirty and fun. There is truly something for everyone in The Watkins Book and it is only made better by the supportive structure of the notes.

The Watkins Book of English Folktales does exactly what it says it'll do. It's a collection of delightful tales, supported by a strong Introduction and important notes which will allow readers to contextualise these tales.

URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/...

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Watkins Publishing for an advance copy of this collection of stories and tales of England.

As I child I was blessed to have a Grandfather who loved to tell stories. Usually they featured a man with my Grandfather's name, mostly in Galway, Ireland where he was born, and I assume where his Grandfather told him tales. The hero of the tales could out fight, out drink and out think whatever was against him, soldiers, landlords or other weird things. I remember the telling of the stories, more than I remember the stories themselves, the way he would twist and point and his voice going up and down. They were important not just for entertainment, but for forging a bond with me my brother and himself, like all stories should. Neil Philip in his book The Watkins Book of Folktales is a collection of folk and fairy tales passed down through families, villages and travellers who happen to be sharing a fire on a long winter's night, bringing everyone closer until the final the end.

This is a very comprehensive collection ranging from early to late eras, sometimes featuring the same character and same deeds only told in different ways. Such as the numerous stories of Jack the Giant Killer. The beanstalks might go to different places, the golden goose might not appear but the fate of the giant is usually the same. There are stories of being nice to strangers, and being rewarded with gold and wives, while other ruder brothers might fall down a well, or be crushed in an old mind. Witches appear capturing little boys, who escape with tricks, or just a well turned phrase. Merlin comes to a farmer asking to buy his horse for the knights who wait in the mountain emerging when their nation needs them most. Plus spooky stories, and one from Charles Dickens that was told to him as a bedtime tale, which seems rather mean.

The stories are fun, and will seem very familiar to readers. The best is the annotations that accompany the tales, giving a history and a sense of where the stories came from, or how many versions might be around. The book also has as history of folktales, and how certain narrators and other collectors might not have been on the up and up about where there stories came from. This is a reissue of The Penguin Book of English Folklore, so a new introduction by the author discusses the current scholarship of folktales, and what has changed from over the years since the books publication. In addition, there is also an introduction from Neil Gaiman, discussing how the original book helped him write a story and eased his homesickness.

A very fun and sometimes spooky collection of folktales. Some stories might be a little bit much for some readers, younger ones especially, but I really think this would be a good gift for people of all ages, especially for fans of fantastical literature. Or for burgeoning writers for ideas and inspiration.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delicious presentation of a mammoth undertaking – and yet one I can only really give four stars to. This is definitely a marvellous collection of English folktales – but I felt it failed in small ways to deliver the perfect book I wanted; and while I know what I wanted of it – being a spoken word storyteller, as opposed to an academic, a folklorist, or a know-all of fairy-tales – is not universal, I don't think this hits the mark for everyone.

Don't get me wrong, for this is a superlative undertaking, with English variants on Cinderella, and on this and that (the three little pigs didn't just get their houses blown down, you know), and even a couple of bits of Dickens, but it almost managed to frustrate. Only some times did I give up trying to parse the rural, rustic vernacular of the regional dialects some of this was presented in, but I know people do take against there being no Queen's English variant of some of these stories, and I can see their point. Also, the book seems to crest a wave at the halfway mark and crash down into a lot of flippant, anecdotal trips to the regions, and jokes and japes, as opposed to what we might really think of as a folktale. Can a folktale be both fifteen pages long and less than fifteen lines? Discuss.

This is still almost bonkers in its erudition, from copious prior compilations being sources to even something referred to in a tabloid newspaper at one point. But did it bring us everything? No – my local region's Black Annis never showed up, and there were gaps as well as flaws and niggles. Did I have a crushing impression the compiler knew his stuff, and that I was holding a wonderful hardback? Yes. Did I have my life altered at such an achievement? No. Did I nick anything to include in my next setlist? That would be telling. Either way, this is very much an impressive book, and perhaps one I should be more forgiving with, but flaws is flaws.

[Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I read it over 2 days. I enjoyed reading it and learning about various folktales that were new to me. It was funny finding out that Jack was a very popular name in folktales. There were plenty of well known stories which I knew and loved and also hoe they were changed slightly over time. I really loved reading the first half of this book as these were the stories I had know the most and it was great learning about its origins. I thought it was very interesting reading the authors introduction and history of each story they really were fascinating to know. I learnt quite a bit from reading this book which was brilliant. The second half of the book didn't grab me so much im sure it was because I hadn't heard of most of the stories and some has hard fot me to read as some use old English words. You know the ones missing most of the letters. I'm sure that if you know alots or folktales or want to learn about folktales that you might find this book very interesting. If I rate it 3 stars I always recommend reading a sample of the story to see If it is a perfect fit for you. Remember I am just one person and my average rating could be your 5 star rating. This book was wrote well and it flowed very well from one book to the next.
Many thanks to the author and publishers for putting together this great collection of English folktales.

[Vidya Tiru · Rating 5 out of 5]

As those of you who visit me often might already know, I have a thing for folktales and fairytales and myths and legends and such! So of course, this book called out to me and said “read me!” Then, there was that little detail of ‘foreword by Neil Gaiman.’ Another reason to get it. And I am so glad I am reading it (in the sense that I did read a part of it, but this is a book to be savored and read in bits and pieces.)

There is so much to love about this book. The research behind it, the annotations and anecdotes accompanying each story, the footnotes and history of folktales themselves, as well as the brilliant selection of tales within – all of these make it a great read. From the foreword and the author’s note as well as the introduction to the further reading section, and the familiar as well as the unknown tales within, this book is sure to have something for everyone. (Note for those handing it to younger kids: some of the tales might not work for young audiences for various reasons, so please read them first)

Disclaimer: I got a digital review copy of this book from Netgalley and these are my honest opinions of the book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers, Watkins Publishing, for giving me access to this book as an E-ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

A collection like this isn’t really something you read from cover to cover, it’s more a book you’d have to use in perhaps your academic life, being able to catalogue different types of folk tales into groups (like Watkins have)

When I studied folklore as a part of my Ethnology degree, I learnt that there are only seven types of stories – that seven types of story structures are used to construct millions of stories in every part of the world. The structure of, let’s say a hero story, will be the same whether it has been told in Scandinavia, South-east Asia or in the Amazon. That’s incredible.

This collection then is very useful, and I very much enjoyed that it included the narrator, sometimes the date of the telling and place. That took me closer to the story and really showcased that the stories have been part of a culture. Very interesting!

[Verity Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too scholarly for casual enjoyment

This book is not at all what I expected. I was hoping for a book of fairy tales or "marchen." In the first half of the book, there are a fair number of those, although often they are told in dialect forms that range from mildly annoying to nearly impenetrable. But the second half devolves into jokes, place legends, and ghost stories of relatively modern provenance.

This is basically a scholarly collection of whatever "stories" the author came across that might be considered "English," preferably in the dialect of the teller from whom they were originally collected. For those with an interest in English dialects, this might be a profitable selection. But it's not very good for casual reading or entertainment.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 stars
An Informative and Rich Collection of Folktales

The Watkin’s Book of English Folktales is a treasure trove for anyone interested in English folklore. The book is packed with an impressive number of tales, ranging from the eerie and mysterious to the whimsical and humorous. It’s incredibly informative and offers a deep dive into the rich storytelling traditions of England.

While the sheer volume of stories is impressive, it can feel a bit overwhelming at times, and some tales are more engaging than others. Still, the historical context and variety make it well worth the read. A great resource for folklore enthusiasts or anyone looking to explore the roots of English storytelling.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little collection of fairy tales and folktales. This was a very solid collection of some lesser known tales. I'm an avid fairy tale and folktale connoisseur, but I had never heard of most of these. There's a good mix of fairy tales, legends, humorous folk tales, and ghost stories.

One thing to be aware of is that some of the stories are kept in the local dialect of the source of the story (i.e. the person from whom the story was collected), and some of these dialects were really difficult for me to understand and follow. Most of the stories aren't written like this, but I found myself skimming the ones that were.

Thanks to NetGalley for this review copy!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like, well-written, well-researched, thoroughly fascinating fairytales, this book is for you! I loved how the stories were laid out in this book and the information about the history, origin, and type of each story was included which I thought added a lot. A lot of these tales were familiar to me, but it was incredibly cool to read new ones and to get the history behind some of my childhood favorites (as well as to see how they differed from my own memory). Plus, Neil Gaiman's forward and the cover were really cool too!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a fairytale? I have read fairytales since I was a child and read them to my child. This book encompasses a large amount of fairytales in their original forms. Some I had never read before. The historical analysis of the tales added depth to the fairytals and put the tales into perspective. I really enjoyed reading this.
Thanks to Netgalley,for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

[Louise Mullins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected a book of English folk tales (folklore/myths/legends) and instead got a book of fairytales, which everyone over the age of ten has heard a thousand times. It's been wrongly advertised, and despite reading like a book for kids mentions eroticism in fairy stories, so who's going to read it?

[DarkStar's Book Cavern · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has spent a lot of time surrounded by the Grimm's fairytales, I found that I was woefully ignorant of the English fairytales and folklore. But no longer! I loved reading this book and recommend it to anyone wanting to dive into the funny, spooky and downright mischievous tales within.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think if you are doing research on fairy tale origin stories, or are perhaps a writer looking for some ideas, this would be the book for you. I passed on more than I read. Sometimes the language got in the way for me. Other times I couldn't see how the story was a story at all, but more a convoluted series of events that weren't necessarily connected. Sorry, I just didn't get it.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't skip the introduction! The intro and foreword give great context and interesting insight around the collecting of folktales, and the particular difficulty with recording English folktales. Really cool book, loved the very clear outlining of parts that are as accurate as can be, best possible interpretations and the sources are mentioned too.

[Phil Cunningham · Rating 1 out of 5]

Undoubtedly an impressive historical artifact, yet an utter misery to read. I thought the audiobook version might help with understanding different dialects, but that was a letdown too. Chipped away at this collection over many months, as I wanted to learn more about English folktales. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that I don’t enjoy many of them.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great anthology of English Foktales, some new other well known. They're commended and it's a fascinating book.
I loved the cover
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine