The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies

About this book

Robert Kirk believed the hills and lonely places of Scotland were inhabited by a people existing beside humanity. Their bodies, homes and habits were different from ours, and certain people were said to possess a special sight that revealed them.

Written in the seventeenth century, The Secret Commonwealth offers a remarkable account of fairy belief from within the culture that sustained it. Andrew Lang's later commentary helped bring the manuscript into modern discussions of folklore and the unseen world. The little book feels like a field guide to an invisible neighbourhood.