Description
Jeremiah Curtin. Tales of the Fairies and of the Ghost World collected from Oral Tradition in South-West Munster. Little Brown : Boston 1895 First American edition. Green cloth hardcover with gold lettering. Some flecking of the color on the cloth, gold gilt dulled. Sl wear to head and foot. S. bumping of the corners. Octavo 198 pp
“Curtin visited Ireland in 1871, 1872, 1887, 1891, and 1892-93; collected folklore in south-west Munster and other regions with the aid of interpreters; visited the Aran Islands; issued Myths and Folklore of Ireland (1890; reps. 1911; 1975), among the first accurate collections of folk material, and an important source for W. B. Yeats (viz., “Cuchulain’s Fight with the Sea”); also Hero Tales of Ireland (1894) and Tales of the Fairies and Ghost World (1895); he proudly possessed a note from Gladstone applauding his work on Irish mythology.” Ricorso – A Knowledge of Irish Literature.
“The volume before us comprises, of course, many variants of tales already well known, while others appear to be quite new. All are told with freshness; and most of them illustrate with striking force Mr. Curtin’s statement that the beliefs to which they relate ” are among the main articles of faith for a good number of the old people” still living. Scattered up and down are interesting observations on the practices of the peasantry, those on funeral customs and the superstitions attaching to the clothes of the dead being specially worth study.” Folklore Vol 6 1895