For those of you who are not aware, this is a reprint of Keightley's The Fairy Mythology with a new name. The title of this edition is misleading. This is not really a "world" guide. Yes, there is a thirteen page section on "oriental romance" but the rest of the book deals with European legends and mythology. I also have not found any reference to Gnomes in this book. I don't know why Crown Publishing decided to change the title of the book but I am glad they printed a new edition. Decent quality print copies of The Fairy Mythology are difficult to find at a reasonable price but copies of this edition are much easier to come by and are not expensive. This edition has the same introduction and illustrations as the 1950's printing of the original book I remember from my local library.
As for the book itself I have found it to be an excellent source of information on the fairy folk. It is well organized and the table of contents is detailed enough to help you find information what ever type of fairy you interested in. I see the book as an encyclopedia on fairy and not a book that you would read cover to cover. There are ample footnotes to help the reader understand references that would not be commonly known.
The Fairy Mythology was originally published in 1880 and as such it contains an older view of the fairy people and is closer to the original tales and legends than what is commonly seen today One example of the changes in modern depictions can be seen with trolls. The old mythologies more often than not speak of trolls as being the same as or very similar to dwarfs. Some even have them as shape changers. All of the old tales I have seen list them as "little people" and show them to be at least as intelligent as a human. Move forward to the late 20th century and the most common depiction you find of trolls are that of very large but less than the size of giants and characterize them as generally having a very, very low intelligence.
I know there is probably a better reference for fairy folk but I have not seen it. Regardless of whether you are looking for this information for research or if you simply are interested in the topic and want to expand your horizons I would definitely give this book a chance.
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Keith C. Armstrong
Also called Fairy Mythology
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2019