Thursday 1 August 2019

"Cornish Folk Tales of Place" by Anna Chorlton (The History Press)

If there was ever a landscape steeped in history, that lends itself so well to the creation and proliferation of stories, it surely has to be the amazing diverse landscape of Cornwall.

In "Cornish Folk Tales of Place" by Anna Chorlton, Anna has curated a collection of scintillating and absorbing tales from that glorious county, a place that we visit often and can't get enough of.

From north to south coast, from the rugged rock-strewn moors to the deep forests, traditional Cornish tales are filled with the most amazing characters and creatures and Anna draws them together in a collection of stunning tales.

Taking stories from famous locations that you'll probably recognise from your own holidays there, from coast of East Cornwall and the fishing villages and ports of Polperro and Looe, to the windswept North Cornish moors around Bodmin, you'll hear talk of mermaids, witches, piskies and of course plenty of nefarious human characters such as pirates and smugglers, as well as giants and more elusive beasts.

We love the approach here, mapping Cornwall out by area, then delving into the rich oral and written tradition of stories to be found in local history. Anna summarises the tales, filling each page with doodles and scribbles to help bring the stories to life.

Utterly compelling and addictive, particularly if your children have a keen interest in history and stories too.

Sum this book up in a sentence: Another brilliant story compilation and history book from The History Press.

"Cornish Folk Tales of Place" by Anna Chorlton is out now, published by The History Press (kindly supplied for review)