The Magic Ointment: and Other Cornish Legends

by Eric Quayle, Michael Foreman

This is a collection of twelve traditional Cornish myths and legends set in Cornish settings featuring witches, giants, pixies and a good mixture of heroes and heroines. Michael Foreman has aimed to capture the magical content with atmospheric and witty illustrations. The author has drawn on Robert Hunt's "Popular Romances of the West of England" 1865 for this collection of re-tellings and added tales told to him by the present-day old folk of remote villages in West Penwith. Michael Foreman won the Kate Greenway Medal in 1982 and the Children's Book Award in 1984. His other picturemacs are "I'll Take You to Mrs Cole"; "Trick a Tracker" and "The Crab that Played With the Sea".

Contents:
Introduction
The Magic Ointment
The Giants of St. Michael’s Mount
The Changeling
The Good Dog Devil
The Piskie Threshers
The Mermaid of Zennor
The Little People’s Pageant
The Old Woman Who Turned Her Shift
Duffy and the Devil
The Shawl Ghost
The Adventure of Cherry of Zennor
The Witch of Fraddam

108 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 1986

About the author

Eric Stanley Quayle (1921–2001) was a noted British bibliophile, collector and author.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice selection of Cornish tales, with lovely illustrations! I'll be adding this to the list of books to read with my kids. I enjoyed the stories of the Little People, also known as piskies or spriggans in Cornwall. This now sits next to my collection of Irish tales edited by Yeats :) (I got this secondhand at Savers, and it has a nice little dedication to someone on the inside by Eric Quayle in 1986. I love finding things like that!)

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a local legend and fairy tale! Cornwall is so rich!

[Bertie Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is lovely collection of stories perfect for bedtime reading with gorgeous illustrations.

It would make a perfect gift for a child living or holidaying in Cornwall.