Writings on Irish Folklore, Legend, and Myth (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
This collection brings together all of W. B. Yeats's published prose writings on Irish folklore, legend and myth, with pieces on subjects including ghosts, kidnappers, fairies, ancient tribes, precious stones and Gaelic love songs. Through his researches on Irish folklore, Yeats attempted to create a movement in literature that was enriched by and rooted in a vital native tradition. In this volume Yeats's essays, introductions and sketches are presented chronologically, giving a clear picture of how his analysis developed, increasing in its depth and complexity in his quest to create an Ireland of the imagination.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fantasy, Nonfiction, Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Fantasy · Nonfiction · Fiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
No specific content concerns can be confirmed from the available English catalog information. Consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Balanced tone · Steady pace
Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.
A good fit if…
Readers looking for a substantial, immersive commitment with room for a world or argument to unfold.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-1401-8001-5
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL9304158M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.
Begin with its place in Fantasy, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- Which familiar part of life becomes easier to see through this imagined world?
- What rules shape the world, and who benefits from them?
- Where does wonder, fear, or possibility change a character’s choices?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
More Fantasy books
These matches combine shared categories with author, publication-era, and reading-length signals.
Jango
by William Nicholson
Why it fits: shares Fantasy and Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Fa Mulan
by Robert D. San Souci
Why it fits: shares Fantasy and Nonfiction, a similar publication era.
Frostbitten
by Kelley Armstrong
Why it fits: shares Fantasy and Nonfiction, a similar publication era.
Magic Steps (The Circle Opens, Book 1)
by Tamora Pierce
Why it fits: shares Fantasy and Nonfiction, a similar publication era.
Such wicked intent
by Kenneth Oppel
Why it fits: shares Fantasy and Nonfiction, a similar publication era.