7 Signs of a Good Fairy Book

 Several years ago I wrote about 7 Signs of  a Bad Fairy Source so I thought today I'd take a look at the opposite and talk about things to look for in good books on the subject. With, of course, the understanding that 'bad' and 'good' are subjective and that this is my opinion on what can constitute a good source of information.

Young's 'The Boggart' is an excellent source for boggart beliefs

1. Clear References - if the book is non-fiction and is presenting information gathered from outside the author's personal experiences then sources should be clearly cited and referenced so that you can track them down for yourself. Seeing citations is usually an indication of a more trustworthy book - although I do also encourage people to go to those sources directly for themselves as well. 
2. Clear Focus - a good fairy source should be upfront and open about its intentions and focus. If its relaying wider folklore the reader should know that and if its sharing personal experiences the reader should know that too. 
3. Differentiates non-fiction and fiction - Despite a rather widespread misunderstanding of the two topics folklore isn't fiction and vice versa. It is possible for things to begin in fiction and migrate into belief, but still the two subjects should be understood as different. Folklore represents the beliefs and practices of people or groups, whereas fiction is entertainment. While the two can get a bit muddy and overlap there is nonetheless a distinction that must be noted, especially where modern urban fantasy is concerned. If a book is discussing fiction alongside folk belief then the two should be clearly defined. 
4. Personal Experiences Are Presented As Such - personal experiences are a vital part of modern fairy belief and shouldn't be discounted. That said a good fairy source will be very clear when something is personal experience, and offer wider grounding for that experience. 
5. Context Is Provided - Fairy belief is something that almost always requires context, so a good source will offer that. This may include discussing when and where a story occured, or it may be about explaining any issues with the source that shared the story. For example if Yeats is used as a source it would be ideal to contextualize his material by explaining his relationship to Irish culture (he was Anglo-Irish and grew up for period is England), language (he didn't speak Irish), wider career (he was primarily a poet and author of fiction), and occult interests (he was influenced by Theosophy and the Golden Dawn). All of these factors effect the fairy stories he shared and hos much they can or should be trusted.  
6. Solid Bibliography -  when I get a new book the first thing I do is look at the bibliography to get an idea of both the sources being drawn on and the wider quality of the text. A book without a bibliography is rarely a good sign, unless it purely personal experiences being shared, but a book with a strong bibliography which touches on a range of sources related to the subject is usually a good sign.  
7. Terms - any terms used, especially those coming from outside the source's language should be explained and used correctly. A good way to vet a source in English for example is to look for any non-English terms used, how the source if defining them, and then cross check that against an established trustworthy source or dictionary. Solid sources will be in line with wider understandings of a word, while less trustworthy sources will redefine things without concern for the source language. For example if you find bean sidhe (banshee) in a text and its defined as anything except fairy woman or Otherworldly woman, than that source shouldn't be trusted, but if you have a source that does line up with those definitions that's a good sign. 

These are only guidelines, but they are what I personally use when looking at books on fairies and related subjects and I have found them very helpful. Obviously each bullet point doesn't apply equally to every book, as something written as a record of a person's own experiences wouldn't necessarily need citations or a bibliography and something looking at older folk belief wouldn't necessarily get into the nitty gritty of personal experiences, but in general I believe this is a solid list. I hope that this short list may also help other people to distinguish what might be a good book from a bad one.