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by Janet Bord 
A good collection of accounts, with insufficient theory
This is a good collection of accounts of fairy sightings, including several from the past few decades, but it is unfortunately short on theory and structure. The first may be forgiven, since Bord states clearly at the beginning and end that she has been unable to reach a conclusion about what fairies might be, or even if they exist outside of human imagination. Fairies are, in the current state of knowledge of human perception and experience, indefinable: one cannot be sure if they are as one observes them, or if the viewer's preconceptions determine the manner in which they are seen. Until our perception or equipment improves, in other words, we cannot know if they are more or less as we see them or as we believe we should see them. Even given these premises, the book could have been better organized, by having been constructed around the distinct theories on the nature of fairies. The book would have been better had it been divided into chapters on fairies as nature spirits, as manifestations of electromagnetic or other energy, as possible UFO occupants. Instead, the book moves from one idea to the next: a given element in one account reminds Bord of another sighting, the characteristics of which remind her of UFO occupants, which topic she picks up and plays with for a short time, without finishing any of these ideas. It is as if these ideas were will-o'-the-wisps, pulling her first this way, and then that: charming, but disorganized and hard to follow. The strong points of this book are its thorough bibliography (including information about the first and latest printings), definitive endnotes, and index. The photographs included are valuable as curiosities only, since such photos are easily faked, as the author herself points out. The author also makes a point of distinguishing between folktales and actual accounts, though it is difficult to tell the difference at times. The appendix of fairy haunts in Britain and Ireland omits this distinction, merely listing a few dozen places associated with the fairies, without, however, giving sources for this information. The author's pleasant style, her discussion of the various theories regarding fairies, and the bibliography all make this book a good introduction for anyone interested in learning about fairies. |
