Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology is an academic listing of fairies in folklore and mythology worldwide. There are hundreds of pages dedicated to fairies, making it likely that the entry needed will be included in this very thorough book. In a typical encyclopedia format, there are two columns per page, with each fairy listed alphabetically. The name of the fairy is bolded, followed by information about the fairy and the citation where author Bane found the information. It is easy to follow and understand. Information includes who the fairy was, what culture they came from, what they did, common beliefs about them, when they came to being, and a brief summary. Everything in the book is factual and confirmed – there is no coverage of personal encounters with fairies or other non-academic information.
Beginning with a table of contents and ending with an index makes this book very easy to use. The index includes keywords as well as names of fairies, making it simple to find the entry that is needed. All words listed in small capital letters throughout the book are keywords which can be looked up in the index. The bibliography in the back shows where all of the information in the book came from, which makes it easy for the reader to verify the information or to seek out further details. Other than the cover there is no color or picture in the book, but this lends the encyclopedia a professional feel. There are several accidental misspellings throughout the book, but not enough to be distracting to the reader.
Theresa Bane has written several other encyclopedias on mythical creatures such as demons and vampires. As a mythologist and a self-considered professional vampirologist, Bane was in a unique position to write this work on fairies. All of her research has been cited in-book, making it easy to check facts and to find even more information regarding each fairy covered. All of the sources that Bane cites are reliable and good places to continue looking for information on fairies. The research is up-to-date and current, including all information that is presently known worldwide.
Regardless if fairies were ever real, they still have had an active role in the mythologies of cultures worldwide and Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology catalogues all of that information. This book is unique because it is a complete listing of fairies regardless of the culture they come from, unlike most other similar books that focus on a specific culture or geographical location. No other fairy encyclopedia is as complete as this encyclopedia. I would recommend it as an academic source to anyone that wants information on fairies in mythology.
