This volume contains twenty-four such tales collected from around Wales by P. H. Emerson whilst living in Anglesea during the winter 1891-2. In most cases he amended them as little as possible, preferring to record the stories as told, staying true to the original, so that the written story would enchant readers as though it were being presented in the vernacular. Why do we call such a collection Fairy Tales? Well, when last did you hear a child say "One more folk tale please" or "Another nursery tale, please, grandma"? Fairy tales are stories in which occurs something "fairy", something extraordinary--fairies, giants, dwarfs, speaking animals, or the remarkable stupidity of some of the characters. Stories of fairy interaction with humans - where the kind and thoughtful are blessed and the thoughtless and spiteful are punished. So take some time out and travel back to a period before television and radio, a time when families would gather around a crackling and spitting hearth and...