I'm clearing space so am re-reading books I've had on my shelf for forever before moving them on. My copy of this book has been moving house with me for the last 40+ years, and I must assume that I'd read it and loved it when I was a child, otherwise why would the 20-something me have bought it. Sadly, this book is one that for me has not stood the test of time. As a child, and new to reading stories that involved old British myth and faerie, it would have been like reading a treasure trove. Now, however, I find it too busy and without enough focus on any of the too many characters/tales. Nor have I found any of the key characters holding my attention.

I actually wonder whether I did love it as a child, or whether I saw it 15 or so years on and was simply so reminded of my childhood and the joy of reading that I bought it, investing it with something it never originally had. I wonder that, because when I compare it with others from way back then, the vast majority have been ones that I have still loved on reading now.