Neil Philip (1955–2026)
Author of Mythology (Eyewitness Books)
About the Author
Neil Philip is a writer, folklorist and poet. He is married to the artist Emma Bradford, and lives in the Cotswolds, England. Neil loves words, poetry, and the art of storytelling in all its forms. Among his many books are A Fine Anger, Victorian Village Life, The Cinderella Story, The Penguin Book show more of English Folktales, Mythology (with Philip Wilkinson), The Great Mystery, War and the Pity of War, The New Oxford Book of Childrens Verse, The Tale of Sir Gawain, Horse Hooves & Chicken Feet, and The Adventures of Odysseus. Neil has contributed to numerous journals, including The Times, and Signal: Approaches to Childrens Books, and has also written for stage, screen, and radio. His work has won numerous awards and honours, including the Aesop Award of the American Folklore Society and the Literary Criticism Book Award of the Childrens Literature Association. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Neil Philip
Myths & Legends: The World's Most Enduring Myths and Legends Explored and Explained (1996) 217 copies, 3 reviews
American Fairy Tales: From Rip Van Winkle to the Rootabaga Stories (1996) — Editor — 122 copies, 2 reviews
Volta Ao Mundo Em 52 Historias - Illustrated Book (Em Portugues do Brasil) (1998) 70 copies, 3 reviews
Cinderella Story: The Origins and Variations of the Story Known as Cinderella (Penguin folklore library) (1989) 44 copies, 1 review
Between Earth and Sky: Poetry and Prose of English Rural Life and Work Between the Enclosures and the Great War (Country (1984) 5 copies
Robin Hood 4 copies
Mitologijos enciklopedija 2 copies
Robin dos Bosques 2 copies
O Livro Ilustrado dos Mitos 1 copy
The Arabian Nights 1 copy
Mythology 1 copy
Mütoloogia 1 copy
Folktale of Eastern Europe 1 copy
A Family Treasure Of POETRY 1 copy
Associated Works
The Mythology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained (2018) — Contributor, some editions — 524 copies, 1 review
Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology: Heroes, Heroines, Gods and Goddesses From Around the World (1998) — some editions — 274 copies, 2 reviews
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (Reader's Digest) {40 stories} (2005) — Translator — 57 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1955-05-08
- Date of death
- 2026
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Oxford
University of London (PhD|1980) - Occupations
- folklorist
critic - Short biography
- [from author's website]
Neil Philip is a writer, folklorist and poet. He is married to the artist Emma Bradford, and lives in the Cotswolds, England. Neil loves words, poetry, and the art of storytelling in all its forms. Among his many books are A Fine Anger, Victorian Village Life, The Cinderella Story, The Penguin Book of English Folktales, Mythology (with Philip Wilkinson), The Great Mystery, War and the Pity of War, The New Oxford Book of Childrens Verse, The Tale of Sir Gawain, Horse Hooves & Chicken Feet, and The Adventures of Odysseus. Neil has contributed to numerous journals, including The Times, and Signal: Approaches to Childrens Books, and has also written for stage, screen, and radio. His work has won numerous awards and honours, including the Aesop Award of the American Folklore Society and the Literary Criticism Book Award of the Childrens Literature Association. Outside of the storied world, Neil is passionate about cats, art, music, France, food & wine, and friendship. - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- York, Yorkshire, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Cotswolds, England, UK
Oxfordshire, England, UK
Normandy, France
Reading, Berkshire, England, UK - Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
This collection of diverse Cinderella variations, which includes transcripts of oral tellings, offers a peek into the massive depth and breadth of this centuries-old, worldwide story. If you are tired of the same old story, then this is the book for you. Cinderellas of different races, different ethnicities, and even different genders star in this tale's multiple tellings, some of which are more than a thousand years old. Gypsies, fairies, princes, kings, magical animals, magical trees, show more incest, cannibalism, adultery, murder, transmogrification, happy endings, and even sad endings--it can all be found here. Lovers of folklore or fairy tales will delight in this volume, which offers a brief introduction and context for each story without bogging readers down with tedious detail. Informative and entertaining--a delicate balance, but Philip manages beautifully. show less
In The Illustrated Book of Fairy Tales retold by Neil Phlip, I read the story The Unknown Sister. Immediately, I loved the layout of this story; there are illustrations scattered across the pages with informative captions to help the reader understand the story to the fullest degree. The extra textual features tell the reader where the story originated, and gives some background about the story to guide the reader during the story. I also thought it was extremely helpful that they listed the show more country of origin right next to the fairy tale name, so readers can easily see where this story originated from. Although the plot was slightly rushed, I felt as though I was engaged throughout the entire story. As a reader, I felt tension and suspense when the sister found her brothers; I thought they were going to kill her! I think the best aspect of this story is that it’s simple and direct with rising and falling action. These types of stories are important to read because it can broaden perspectives on different cultures and perspectives. show less
I knew almost nothing about the legend going in, but wanted to. I thought I'd just scan this, get the gist of it, read bits... but I wound up reading every word of the narrative, every caption, and examining every image.
Philip and Harris did a marvelous job bringing the adventurers and the history to life. The drawings are lively and appealing, and the images collected from actual old manuscripts and art are well-chosen to give information and a real sense of context. I particularly liked show more the photos of the forest, the deer, broom and woad, recreators' costumes....
Big problem, though. It was made clear that Robin Hood himself may never have existed. And that Richard and John did. But what about Guy of Gisborne, and the Sheriff, and the other documentable characters? The book design could have made the distinctions more clear, and didn't.
I wouldn't mind exploring more by the creators, even though I'm not a big fan of either adventure, history, or Eyewitness books. show less
Philip and Harris did a marvelous job bringing the adventurers and the history to life. The drawings are lively and appealing, and the images collected from actual old manuscripts and art are well-chosen to give information and a real sense of context. I particularly liked show more the photos of the forest, the deer, broom and woad, recreators' costumes....
Big problem, though. It was made clear that Robin Hood himself may never have existed. And that Richard and John did. But what about Guy of Gisborne, and the Sheriff, and the other documentable characters? The book design could have made the distinctions more clear, and didn't.
I wouldn't mind exploring more by the creators, even though I'm not a big fan of either adventure, history, or Eyewitness books. show less
This book has had a lot of longevity in my life. I can't remember how old I was when I first picked it up, but even as an adult I still refer to it.
The book is essentially a survey of world myth divided by type or 'genre.' While not listed on the cover, it is a Dorling Kindersley book, same publisher as the "Eyewitness" books that were very popular when I was in grade school. Each section has a basic passage outlining the story or myth the page is about, with side bars and captions that show more include other stories or facts that relate to the myth and relevant culture, as well as pictures of artifacts and geographical things, etc. It's a good mix of fact and story. The coverage of each myth or legend is enough to get a general idea for the tale, and provides a great start for further investigation if one should prove to be of particular interest.
I would recommend this for any person interested in myths and legends, regardless of age, and would recommended it for libraries and classrooms for its longevity as a book of interest. show less
The book is essentially a survey of world myth divided by type or 'genre.' While not listed on the cover, it is a Dorling Kindersley book, same publisher as the "Eyewitness" books that were very popular when I was in grade school. Each section has a basic passage outlining the story or myth the page is about, with side bars and captions that show more include other stories or facts that relate to the myth and relevant culture, as well as pictures of artifacts and geographical things, etc. It's a good mix of fact and story. The coverage of each myth or legend is enough to get a general idea for the tale, and provides a great start for further investigation if one should prove to be of particular interest.
I would recommend this for any person interested in myths and legends, regardless of age, and would recommended it for libraries and classrooms for its longevity as a book of interest. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 119
- Also by
- 13
- Members
- 4,757
- Popularity
- #5,273
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 79
- ISBNs
- 241
- Languages
- 15
