All over the world traditional tales used to be told at the fireside until their place came to be taken by books, newspapers, radio and television. This is an entertaining collection from Scotland, recorded and collected by researchers from the School of Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University over the past fifty years. Taken from a variety of sources, from the Hebridean Gaelic tradition to recordings of Lowland cairds (travelling people), some are well-known tales which have equivalents in other cultures and languages, whilst others are unique to Scotland. Each of the selected tales gives an insight into how Scottish culture, tradition, teachings and folk-lore were passed on through the medium of story-telling, and with almost a hundred tales is the most wide-ranging introduction available on this fascinating part of Scotland's heritage. This is a welcome reprint of a book that quickly established itself as a classic. It was previously published by Polygon.