Into the Fairy Hill

Michael Newton is to be commended on his new collection of Scottish Gaelic folktales, which will be a valuable resource for the general and academic reader alike. He has done a great service to the Gaelic community, not only by re-editing a sizable stock of folklore material-emending the errors and outdated orthography of editions long out of print-but also by providing fresh, accessible English translations that will enable a wide audience to enjoy these delightful stories anew. -Natasha Sumner, associate professor, Celtic languages and literatures, Harvard University You hold in your hands a book that is both intellectually fascinating and emotionally spellbinding. As one of today's preeminent scholars of Scottish Gaelic language and its wider culture, Michael Newton has succeeded in breathing back to life the dying embers of the 'ceilidh house' of bygone times, that humble yet far-reaching University of Life. In an era when knowledge can too often lack wisdom, where cognition can too readily lack imagination's vision, this book calls back the soul's long-ebbing tide. May these tales find new life in those who hear them shared aloud today. May they open out new depths of meaning in these troubled times. A blessing on the house and 'Peace be here!' where they find currency. And as the tradition had it, 'So be it.' -Alastair McIntosh, honorary senior research fellow, University of Glasgow