Britain's Folklore Year: A seasonal journey through our customs, celebrations and rituals
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- A fascinating journey through Britain’s folklore, season by season.
- Engaging text written by a folklore expert.
- Includes spells and charms from Britain’s folklore and magic.
- Shows where you can visit rituals and events today.
- Specially commissioned linocut illustrations throughout.
- Supported by the National Trust.
Season by season, this book traces the colourful events, customs and rituals of Britain’s folklore and shows where you can visit many of them today. The book is studded with spells and charms too and has beautiful original linocut illustrations throughout.
The book reveals the origins and history of some of our best-known customs like April Fool’s Day, maypole dancing and wassailing, and also introduces us to many lesser-known ones around the UK, such as Beating the Buns, Sanding the Streets, Hunting the Earl of Rone and Bawming the Thorn.
There are entertaining (and often perilous) sporting traditions too, from worm-charming to wife-carrying, from nettle-eating to cheese-chasing.
International availability - Europe and the United States.
We have resumed some European and US shipping in line with new EU GPSR regulations and recent changes to US tariffs. British Library Publications, including our subscriptions, are now available for order for customers across Europe and the United States.
We will continue rolling out our most popular products to these regions in stages. If you are browsing from Europe or the US, you can now see the products that are available for you to order.
We’re working hard to expand the offering, so the selection you see online will continue to grow as products are cleared for shipping.
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Our deliveries are now carbon neutral.
| Timescale | ||
| UK Standard* | £5.00 | 3 - 5 working days |
Please allow 7 working days from the time you place your order to contact us about undelivered orders.
*does not include custom prints or custom clothing.
Local pick up
Local pick up is free and allows you to buy online and collect your items from our shop in St. Pancras (London) or from Reception in Boston Spa.
London
Orders placed before 3pm will be ready to collect from noon the following day (including weekends). Please ensure you check our opening times before coming to collect.
Boston Spa
Orders placed before 3pm will be ready to collect between 2 - 4 working days, though this is usually quicker.
EU and Europe orders
Due to the new EU Regulation 2023/988 (GPSR), not all of our products will be available for you to order yet, we are working on rolling out a wider product range.
| Order value | Under £25 | £25 - £50 | £50 - £100* | Over £100* | Timescale |
| Airmail | £ 15 | £ 25 | £ 36 | £ 45 | Usually 2 - 4 weeks |
Rest of the World orders
| Order value | Under £25 | £25 - £50 | £50 - £100* | Over £100* | Timescale |
| Airmail | £ 20 | £ 30 | £ 40 | £ 50 | Usually 2 - 4 weeks |
International orders are shipped on a Delivered at Place (DAP) basis. Import duties and taxes are payable by the customer upon delivery. Orders returned due to non-payment of duties will be refunded for the product cost only, less any shipping fees incurred.
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