Fairies feature in films and on TV, but through the ages there have been many actual sightings in Britain, Ireland and North America. Now, the digitisation of local newspapers and ephemera has opened another Aladdin's cave of sources. For the first time, Magical Folk traces their hidden footsteps from 500 AD to the present. In Southern England Master Dobbs, who ended up as Harry Potter character 'Dobby', often shows himself, while in Ireland fairies may be the dead, Scotland harbors the terrifying Whoopity Stoorie, and homesick North America magical folk may dunk you in the Atlantic ocean. Also included are findings from the Fairy Census, the survey of modern sightings around the world.

Magical Folk: A History of Real Fairies , 500AD to the Present

Politics & Social Sciences

YOUNG, Simon

Houlbrook, Ceri

Social Sciences

Gibson Square

Winter's Wishfall: The Most Heartwarming, Magical Christmas Tale You'll Read This Year

Romance

Contemporary

Black White Publishing

Unlocking the Love-Lock: The History and Heritage of a Contemporary Custom

Explores the worldwide popularity of the love-lock as a ritual token of love and commitment by considering its history, symbolism, and heritage. "[T]his is an eminently enjoyable and thorough investigation of a popular phenomenon through the lens of heritage and folk tradition."--Sara De Nardi, Western Sydney University A padlock is a mundane object, designed to fulfil a specific - and secular - purpose. A contemporary custom has given padlocks new significance. This custom is 'love-locking', where padlocks are engraved with names and attached to bridges in declaration of romantic commitment. This custom became popular in the 2000s, and its dissemination was rapid, geographically unbound, and highly divisive, with love-locks emerging in locations as diverse as Paris and Taiwan; New York and Seoul; Melbourne and Moscow. From the introduction: I was distractedly perusing the photo frame aisle, my eyes skimming the generically sentimental stock pictures of happy families smiling at the camera, pretty landscapes, cute pets and couples walking hand-in-hand, when I came across one that jumped out at me.... I recognised the image instantly as a photograph of love-locks: the padlocks that had been appearing en masse on bridges and other public structures on a global scale since the early 2000s. And, having been researching the custom known as lovelocking for about five years at that point, it was with a peculiar sense of pride that I realised love-locks had accomplished the status of a stock image.

Arts & Photography

Berghahn Books

Explores the worldwide popularity of the love-lock as a ritual token of love and commitment by considering its history, symbolism, and heritage. 
“[T]his is an eminently enjoyable and thorough investigation of a popular phenomenon through the lens of heritage and folk tradition.”―Sara De Nardi, Western Sydney University 
A padlock is a mundane object, designed to fulfil a specific – and secular – purpose. A contemporary custom has given padlocks new significance. This custom is ‘love-locking’, where padlocks are engraved with names and attached to bridges in declaration of romantic commitment. This custom became popular in the 2000s, and its dissemination was rapid, geographically unbound, and highly divisive, with love-locks emerging in locations as diverse as Paris and Taiwan; New York and Seoul; Melbourne and Moscow. 
From the introduction: 
I was distractedly perusing the photo frame aisle, my eyes skimming the generically sentimental stock pictures of happy families smiling at the camera, pretty landscapes, cute pets and couples walking hand-in-hand, when I came across one that jumped out at me…. I recognised the image instantly as a photograph of love-locks: the padlocks that had been appearing en masse on bridges and other public structures on a global scale since the early 2000s. And, having been researching the custom known as lovelocking for about five years at that point, it was with a peculiar sense of pride that I realised love-locks had accomplished the status of a stock image.

This book traces the history of ritual landscapes in the British Isles, and the transition from religious practice to recreation, by focusing on a highly understudied exemplar: the coin-tree. These are trees imbued with magical properties into which coins have been ritually embedded. This is a contemporary custom which can be traced back in the literature to the 1700s, when it was practiced for folk-medical and dedicatory purposes. Today, the custom is widespread, with over 200 coin-trees distributed across the British Isles, but is more akin to the casual deposition of coins in a wishing-well: coins are deposited in the tree in exchange for wishes, good luck, or future fortune. Ceri Houlbrook contributes to the debate on the historic relationships between religion, ritual, and popular magic in British contexts from 1700 to the present. 

The Magic of Coin-Trees from Religion to Recreation: The Roots of a Ritual (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)

History

Europe

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

This book redresses popular interpretations of concealed objects, enigmatically discovered within the fabric of post-medieval buildings. A wide variety of objects have been found up chimneybreasts, bricked up in walls, and concealed within recesses: old shoes, mummified cats, horse skulls, pierced hearts, to name only some. The most common approach to these finds is to apply a one-size-fits-all analysis and label them survivals and apotropaic (evil-averting) devices. This book reconsiders such interpretations, exploring the invention and reinvention of traditions regarding building magic. The title Building Magic therefore refers to more than practices that alter the fabric of buildings, but also to processes of building magic into our interpretations of the enigmatic material evidence and into our engagements with the buildings we inhabit and frequent.

Building Magic: Ritual and Re-enchantment in Post-Medieval Structures (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)

Davies, Owen

This book traces the history of ritual landscapes in the British Isles, and the transition from religious practice to recreation, by focusing on a highly understudied exemplar: the coin-tree. These are trees imbued with magical properties into which coins have been ritually embedded. This is a contemporary custom which can be traced back in the literature to the 1700s, when it was practiced for folk-medical and dedicatory purposes. Today, the custom is widespread, with over 200 coin-trees distributed across the British Isles, but is more akin to the casual deposition of coins in a wishing-well: coins are deposited in the tree in exchange for wishes, good luck, or future fortune. Ceri Houlbrook contributes to the debate on the historic relationships between religion, ritual, and popular magic in British contexts from 1700 to the present.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Houlbrook, Ceri. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Houlbrook, Ceri

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Houlbrook, Ceri. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Magical Folk: A History of Real Fairies , 500AD to the Present

Winter's Wishfall: The Most Heartwarming, Magical Christmas Tale You'll Read This Year

Unlocking the Love-Lock: The History and Heritage of a Contemporary Custom

Unlocking the Love-Lock: The History and Heritage of a Contemporary Custom

The Magic of Coin-Trees from Religion to Recreation: The Roots of a Ritual (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)

Building Magic: Ritual and Re-enchantment in Post-Medieval Structures (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)

Building Magic: Ritual and Re-enchantment in Post-Medieval Structures (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)

The Magic of Coin-Trees from Religion to Recreation: The Roots of a Ritual (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)