The Scottish Highlands, with their mysterious waters and brooding mountains, forever remind us that fairies, giants, and mermaids once also called this place home. Sometimes stirring, sometimes brutal, sometimes hilariously implausible—the stories in this anthology are a treasure house of old and wondrous imaginings.

A group of talking animals mentors a wimpy king; a child is abducted by fairies and a surly counterfeit left in his place; a Spanish princess is rescued from sexual slavery by a Highland tourist; a deadly quarrel is resolved through a game of shinty; a man falls into a nest of savage birds but finds the canniest of ways to survive. These are just a few of the storylines gifted to us from the lips of ordinary folk who lived two hundred years ago.

They are stories of their time but their inner voices speak, as well, of the ageless failings and triumphs of human nature. Prof Clayton MacKenzie holds a PhD in Literature from Glasgow University.

He has led major academic units at universities in the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, and the Middle East. His more than 80 publications have appeared in presses and journals of international reputation.

Prof MacKenzie is married with 4 grown-up children. .