Author: McMorland Hunter, Jane

Folklore, myths & legends

Published on 11 September 2025 by BATSFORD in the United Kingdom as part of ‘the Bedside Companions’ series.

Hardback | 448 pages, 12 black and white illustrations
160 x 244 x 42 | 760g

Step into a world of enchantment with this captivating collection of prose and poetry, fact and fiction on myth and magic, folklore and faery.

Bedside Companion to Folklore and Magic contains a rich selection of prose and poetry, fiction and fact, with one entry to read every night of the year. Within the pages of this beautifully designed volume you’ll encounter dancing fairies, ferocious dragons, trickster gods, witches and wizards, enchanted islands, shape-shifting animals, and magic spells. Fantastical delights to peruse include:’ Tales from global folklore: Anansi the spider, Little Tieke the Dancing Thief from Maori legend, and Louise Erdrich’s accounts of North American Ojibwe tradition.

‘ Fiction ranging from classic fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen to exciting modern fantasy such as Marlon James’s Black Leopard, Red Wolf, and poetry including Christina Rosetti’s peerless GoblinMarket.

‘ The very best of magical children’s literature: excerpts from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Peter Pan, His Dark Materials and, more recently, Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures.

‘ Non-fiction sources: extracts from 18th-century grimoires containing bloodthirsty revenge spells, lively accounts of enduring folk wisdom, and classic anthropological texts such as James George Fraser’s The Golden Bough.

If you’re in need of an escape into otherworldly realms, keep this book by your bedside and end every day with a fascinating flight of fantasy.