Fairies are very popular right now—again. They were popular in the Victorian era and now have been discovered by a whole new generation. This expensive paperback book will help answer patron ready reference questions and point the way to answers in other sources. The simple, straightforward organization uses a single alphabetical arrangement for concise entries, which vary in length from two sentences to six paragraphs for more important or well-known fay folk like Morgan Le Fey (237). Each entry on the more than 2,000 fairy-like beings lists variant names, clearly identifies the fairies, and places them in a cultural or geographic context. There is no pronunciation guide, but words in the text that display in small capital letters are actually see also references. Each meaty entry also includes a citation to a (generally) scholarly work that is the main source of the information.

Author Theresa Bane, a professional vampirologist and author of the Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology (McFarland, 2010) and Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions (McFarland, 2012), has included a lengthy twenty-seven-page bibliography of both classic works on myths and the supernatural like James Frazer’s Golden Bough (1922); juvenile books like Jean Fritz’s The Good Giants and the Bad Pukwudgies (1982); contemporary books like Arrowsmith’s Field Guide to the Little People: A Curious Journey into the Hidden Realm of Eves, Faeries, Hobgoblins, and Other Not-So-Mythical Creatures (2009); and actual tales like Hans Christian Andersen’s Tales and Fairy Stories (1893). There is also a useful index.

This is a comprehensive and accessible work for adults and YAs. It covers more cultures than older works like Katharine Brigg’s An Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures (Pantheon Books, 1978), which is still very good but limited to Celtic and European fairy-folk.

The introduction states that the work also does not contain information about “fictional” fairies that did not have origins in folklore like J.M. Barrie’s Tinker Bell. Bane correctly warns users that this is not a spell book. If you need something that will give information about spells you might need something like Judika Illes‘ Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses (HarperOne, 2009), which has information on how to communicate with fairies as well as how to identify them and about 1000 different spirits. There are also no illustrations or photographs in the work, so if you need to find out how they look, see Brian Froud’s Faeries: Deluxe Collector’s Edition (Harry N. Abrams, 2010), which is an expanded edition of a classic work with pencil drawings and watercolors by Alan Lee.

This would be a good choice for public, college, and university libraries serving a population with interest in the topic.