This beautifully bound and illustrated edition of Folk Tales of Britain: Narratives is the perfect way to appreciate stories that are at the very heart of our cultural heritage.

‘Every nation needs its own collection of folk tales, and this is the fullest and most authoritative we have. To open it anywhere is to sink a shaft into the memory of a people and all that they know …’ With these words Philip Pullman introduces a new Folio Society edition of a pioneering publication. Katharine M. Briggs’s Folk Tales of Britain: Narratives is an unrivalled collection of stories, from local traditions and historical legends to shaggy dog stories and fairy tales. A cornucopia of storytelling, it is an essential part of both Britain’s heritage and the literary heritage of the world.

Each volume in this edition is illustrated by a different artist: volume I by Hannah Firmin, volume II by Peter Firmin and volume III by Clare Melinsky. Peter Firmin began working as a printmaker at the age of 14 and celebrated his 81st birthday whilst illustrating Folk Tales of Britain. His daughter Hannah has developed her own work over 30 years, using a traditional technique taught to her by her father. This is the first time that they have worked together on an illustration project. These three very different artists worked in similar relief media using vinyl and lino, giving a family resemblance to their work. The style of the illustrations is ideally suited to the traditional nature of the stories and to their range: from the comic and earthy to the magical and haunting.

A new preface has been commissioned from Philip Pullman, a writer whose work - like folk tales themselves - speaks to both adults and children. In it, he praises the achievement of Katharine M. Briggs and the depth of scholarship she brought to this work. He celebrates the rich variety of voices captured here, and reminds us that these tales should be thought of as a starting point for new tellings: 'They should be taken out and made to dance.' His enthusiasm, together with the creative response from the three illustrators, is testament to the enduring power of these stories.