DownloadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2024

Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain

Exploring the rich mythology of the British Isles

Amy Jeffs author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Quercus Publishing

Published:28th Apr '22

Should be back in stock very soon

Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain cover

This beautifully illustrated book reinterprets ancient British myths, exploring themes of connection, identity, and loss through captivating storytelling and stunning artwork in Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain.

In Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain, the author presents a vivid and beautifully illustrated exploration of the rich mythology surrounding the British Isles. This book reframes ancient stories that delve into timeless human themes such as extinction, connection to the landscape, parenthood, defiance, love, and loss. The narrative is enhanced by stunning illustrations, providing readers with a captivating visual experience as they journey through these legendary tales.

Set against the backdrop of Britain’s wildest landscapes, Storyland begins with the Creation and extends to the era of Noah's Flood. It follows the footsteps of giants and legendary figures, weaving a tapestry of history that includes the arrival of the Normans. The retellings encompass medieval tales of legend and landscape, featuring characters like Brutus, Albina, and Arthur, each story echoing the yearning for belonging and identity.

As readers traverse sacred places like Stonehenge and the mountains of Snowdon, they are invited to reflect on a collective memory that continues to shape the identity and political ambitions of the British Isles. The author, through Storyland, reimagines myths of homeland, exile, and kinship, creating a narrative that is both enchanting and thought-provoking, celebrating the wonder of a land steeped in myth.

Storyland is a joyous read celebrating the power of collective myths and the landscapes which inspired them * All About History *

Jeffs writes beautifully, erring just on the right side of florid, and her linocut prints make for attractive illustrations. The stories come with explanations of sources and legacies, and she has a lovely knack of rooting each one in the landscape that birthed it. This gorgeous book should live on the bookshelves in every house that cares about "the idea of Britain, what is was and where it came from."

* The Times *
An elegant book * Sunday Express *
[A] spellbinding illustrated mythology of Britain. * Scottish Field Magazine *
Rich in myth and legend . . . Beautifully illustrated . . . this is an engaging book, meticulously researched and filled with drama, emotion, action and experience. * The Simple Things *
I have fallen so completely in love with this book; Storyland, by Amy Jeffs, just one of the finest, most covetable things around. It's a mythology of Britain; Brutus, Arthur, Scotus, Bladud, a mix of new telling and ancient, with original woodcuts by the author which are so beautiful you want to eat them. The stories are about strangeness and wonder and brutality, a story of Britain from the top of Orkney to the bottom of Cornwall. It's hugely original, and starkly lovely: I've never come across anything quite like it. -- Katherine Rundell
A beautiful retelling of British myths and exquisitely illustrated too. -- James Holland * Daily Express (BOOK OF THE YEAR) *
Storyland is a spellbinding illustrated mythology of Britain. . . With Jeffs at the helm we travel through a powerful medieval mythscape and in doing so, the entirety of Britain. * Scottish Field Magazine *
Art historian and printmaker Amy Jeffs brings a fresh perspective to the mythology that flows through Britain for an enlightening, transporting survey of the stories that suffuse our landscape and have shaped its people. * Waterstones *
[R]avishingly lovely * The Times Ireland *
[A] lively retelling of British myths * Apollo Magazine *
Steeped in magic and mystery and grounded in meticulous research in manuscripts and our ancient landscape, Amy's mythical world is movingly articulated. * Bristol Magazine *
Elegant retellings of Britain's origin legends sit alongside Jeffs' captivating artworks, which I like so much that I have two hanging in my office. -- Dan Jones for Good Web Guide

ISBN: 9781529408003

Dimensions: 196mm x 126mm x 38mm

Weight: 340g

384 pages