From the author of The Dead of Winter, a revelatory and bewitching history of fairies and the ever-changing role they have played in our imagination

We often think of them as tiny, glittering creatures fluttering about in pastel tulle, but fairies haven't always been so benign. Here, historian Sarah Clegg explores the true history of fairies, and the menace and ambiguity that always lurks within the shimmering fantasy. This history takes us from elf fires in Iceland to a burial mound in Ireland; and from a stream in Cottingley where two sisters created a fairy hoax to a modern-day fairy ball in Los Angeles. Along the way, Clegg reveals fairies' connection to ancient gods and their role in the witch-trials, and examines their seductive presence in romantasy today. This is a story of how fairy myths grew and spread across Europe, of how they changed and developed, and why we have, for centuries, been so enthralled by the danger and enchantment of the fae.

"Inviting, charming, funny, sometimes horrifying and always informative, a wonderfully personal and lively introduction to the world of fairies" - Witchcraft

"Clegg explores the true history of fairies with all its disturbing ambiguity and sometimes downright menace, examining how fairy myths grew and spread across Europe, and why, in these romantasy times, we are still so enthralled to the fae. An enchanting book with a particularly witty use of footnotes" - Bookseller