Irish Fairy and Folk Tales. Selected and Edited by W.B. Yeats. London: Walter Scott, [1903]. Pp xviii, 326. Eighteen-page introduction by Yeats with publisher’s catalogue at rear. Publisher’s smooth green cloth, upper corners with triangular floral decoration in gilt. Covers lightly worn and scuffed, contents in good condition.

The third book by Yeats, first published in 1888.

In this delightful gathering of legend and song, the familiar characters of Irish myth come to life: the mercurial trooping fairies, as ready to make mischief as to do good; the solitary and industrious Lepracaun and his dissipated cousin, the Cluricaun; the fearsome Pooka, who lives among ruins and has “grown monstrous with much solitude”; and the Banshee, whose eerie wailing warns of death. More than an ambitious and successful effort to preserve the rich heritage of his native land, this volume confirms Yeats’s conviction that imagination is the source of both life and art.

In addition to editing, Yeats’ contributions include “The Stolen Child” and “The Priest of Coloony.”