A recent question in the retellings area might be of interest to some of you, so here’s a list of so

A recent question in the retellings area might be of interest to some of you, so here’s a list of some essential fairy tale, vampire, and myth scholarly reads AND below that, a few authors whose books are obvious proof that they know their scholarship (and also great reading!) On Vampire research, two of my most loved (in the picture) are FOOD FOR THE DEAD (Bell) and VAMPIRES, BURIAL, & DEATH (Barber). Both are thought provoking reads on vampires, as well as very readable.Barber’s WHEN THEY SEVERED EARTH FROM SKY (myth in general) is equally awesome.If you’re looking at fairy tales, go to some of these (NOTE: not in order of quality, just a few great books): Maria Tatar’s Fairy Tales in the Norton CE series (ISBN-13: 978-0393972771). Her OFF WITH THEIR HEADS (ISBN-13: 978-0691000886) is also good. Marina Warner’s FROM BEAST TO BLONDE (ISBN-10: 0374524874) is a foundational text.I haven’t read her ONCE UPON A TIME (just released in December; Oxford UP), but it’s in my TBR stack. Warner’s books (like those by Tatar & Jack Zipes) are really the tops at the critical fairy tale scholarship.Ok, umm, yeah … so this is my version of fun reading. I have shelves more, but since the topic comes up now & again, & I just answered it, I thought I’d share.Oh and if you’re looking for amazing novels USING the scholarly stuff? Here are a few people who know their scholarship and history.  They re-tell, and they break or tweak things on purpose, but they are clearly grounded in the scholarly texts. Charles de LintHolly BlackEllen KushnerEmma BullTerri WindlingDelia ShermanNeil GaimanNOTE: novels that are calling to traditional lore & tales are lovely (and a weakness of mine &  obvious what I write), but for the writers among you, the scholarship is a better starting point if you’re a writer. Incidentally, it is what the authors I referenced all did, and a part of WHY their books are so good (along w their creativity & talent, of course). -- source link

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