Fantasy Stephens, James: Irish Fairy Tales (illus Rackham). v2. 19 Apr 2025

[GrannyGrump]

Ten traditional tales of Irish heroes, kings, soldiers, magicians, poets, and madmen.

… “Irish Fairy Tales” by James Stephens doesn't have any leprechauns, but that is hardly a let down. No, these stories are steeped in the very depths of Irish folklore, from the same sources that Yeats immersed himself in, going right back to the recoded beginnings.
That means historical and spiritual fairy tales of ancient Tara; those heard, adapted and written by the monks and priests of Ireland as Christianity came to the land and proceeded to convert the indigenous pagans to the new creed.

The author clearly knew and revered his subject, yet is bold and gifted enough to retell these stories in his own way. There is more poetry, wit and wisdom in this collection than you could ever hope to find in any book.
—Perry Whitford, Goodreads

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James Stephens (9 February 1880 – 26 December 1950) was an Irish novelist and poet.

Stephens produced many retellings of Irish myths. His writings are marked by a rare combination of humour and lyricism (Deirdre and Irish Fairy Tales are often especially praised). He also wrote several original novels (The Crock of Gold, Demi-Gods) based loosely on Irish wonder tales. The Crock of Gold in particular has achieved enduring popularity and has often been reprinted.

During the last decade of his life, Stephens found a new audience through a series of broadcasts on the BBC.

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This book is illustrated with 16 full-page color images and a number of line drawings by the incomparable Arthur Rackham, the Grand Master of “The Golden Age of Illustration”.

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This collection was first published in 1920.
This ebook is in the public domain where copyright is “Life+70” or less, and in the USA.
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EDIT TO ADD: Uploaded corrected version.
Previous downloads: 92.
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[Thalassa]

GrannyGrump! What a huge surprise and joy to see your name pop up again in the uploaders' column!

And what a fine edition of Stephens' retellings, embellished with Rackham's wonderful illustrations, thank you so much!

[Martinoptic]

Yes, thank you, and lovely to have you pop up again. I love your books.

[kwork]

This is wonderful! Welcome back! You have been missed.

[GrannyGrump]

Thank you all!
Some various things happened in Real Life, but improved now, hopefully permanently.

Enjoy the stories and illustrations...

[HappyCalibreUser]

I want to add my thanks as well. An excellent piece.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by GrannyGrump

Thank you all!
Some various things happened in Real Life, but improved now, hopefully permanently.

Enjoy the stories and illustrations...

Welcome back. Hopefully things are sorted enough,

[GrannyGrump]

I have just uploaded corrected version.
There were quite a few errors --- please accept my apologies.

Hope you will try this again.