Collected Folk Tales - Alan Garner

Collected Folk Tales by Alan Garner / 328-page paperback published by Harper UK / ISBN 9780008602772

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The definitive collection of traditional British folk tales, selected and retold by the renowned Alan Garner. Following on from the fiftieth anniversary of Alan Garner's seminal fantasy classic, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, this edition collects all of Alan's folk tales, told with his unique storytelling skill and inimitably clear voice. Essential reading for young and old alike, and a book to be treasured.

"The stories are written in a variety of voices, but the prose is always spare and hard, not a word wasted, not a word out of place… And if, by the time I have grandchildren, there are still public libraries, I trust that they will find this book in one, and take it to a quiet corner and read."-Neil Gaiman

""…the great collections of British folk-tales, such as this one, should be treated in two ways: first, they should be bound in gold and brought out on special occasions as national treasures; and second, they should be printed in editions of hundreds of thousands, at the public expense, and given away free to every young teacher and every new parent."-Philip Pullman

Alan Garner was born and still lives in Cheshire, an area which has had a profound effect on his writing and provided the seed of many ideas worked out in his books.

His fourth book, ‘The Owl Service’ brought Alan Garner to everyone’s attention. It won two important literary prizes – The Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal – and was made into a serial by Granada Television. It has established itself as a classic and Alan Garner as a writer of great distinction.