A useful, interesting guide to folklore through the seasons, i enjoyed that it was linked to the wheel of the year. however, i felt the information was a but too light in places and would have benefitted from more information even if links or reading recommendations to learn more.

Loved this!
Absolutely fascinating and such a rich and colourful array of national folklore.
Would make a valuable addition to any library in the UK.

This book is a fairly easy read. It provides some novel trivia to perhaps give as a gift to a pub quiz enthusiast or a British history buff. Some entries are more detailed than others, and I think some depth is lacking for it to be a more widely used resource book. Some maps and lists by cities/towns would have been welcome, as would a further reading list. The illustrations also could have been better, perhaps represented by photographs or museum archive media.

This is gives a fascinating insight into literally dozens of British traditions. Some well known, many long forgotten but if you have an interest in sicial history, the title provides a brief taster of many practices. It’s divided into seasons and the selection seems a little random. But this isn’t an academic title and the material is presented in a way that will appeal to a majority of readers, young and old. I’d heard if quite a few, but knew little of the history and thought that worm charming was a myth…it’s not! And wife carrying! Great if you’re looking for a general interest title to dip your toe into some of the beliefs and rituals that have endured for hundreds of years and are rooted in ancient belief. I enjoyed it.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley fir a review copy.

I agree with this statement in the book's introduction:
."Folklore is vital to us as human beings. It allows us to understand who we are, our culture and our place in society. at is because folklore brings with it a sense of identity."
So I was pleased to read the descriptions that follow of British festivals and local customs occurring over "the Wheel of the Year'" that closely governed the lives of our peasant ancestors. The book is divided into chapters for the four seasons, listing events in fairly random fashion. There is no listing that groups customs according to their probable periods of origin. I would have liked an easy way to discover which were truly ancient, for example, rather than having to trawl through each description. Also, the anthropology of seasonal customs is not explored in any depth. For those reasons I award it just three stars. However, as a simple -- and interesting -- list of British folklore, it is a useful guide.

Britain’s Folklore Year by Mark Norman

An absolutely delightful read for students of folklore and those drawn to magical traditions like Wicca or British Traditional Craft. Norman takes us month by month through Britain’s calendar of customs, festivals, and quirky rituals—some still practiced, others long forgotten. I especially loved learning about traditions like wife carrying and worm charming, along with the interspersed spells and charms for love, beauty, and protection. I can’t wait to get my own copy of this beautiful book for my collection!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and National Trust Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

exactly the kind of book I have been looking for, this ticks every niche interest that I've cultivated in the last two years. The traditions and history of Britain are so fascinating and I love getting a meaningful insight into why we do all the things we do. I'm also thinking I'll need to plot these celebrations on a map and do a road trip at some point because each of these events sounds like so much fun.
A lovely reference book for some of the best reasons for living in the UK, big fan!

3.5 stars rounded up.
With thanks to NetGalley and Collins Reference/National Trust books for the arc.
This is a short (only 224 pages) guide to the traditional calendar customs (events such as cheese-rolling, Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, April Fools Day etc) of the British year. If you are looking for a quick introduction to some of the main events in the calendar then this is a very readable volume to start with. The tone is light (at times perhaps a little too flippant), but the author’s background in podcasts means that this keeps the book accessible and not too academic to be off-putting for newcomers to the topic. The brevity of the book does mean that this is a whistlestop tour of some of the better-known events in the country and readers who want a more complete almanac of British calendar customs might do better with the National Trust’s earlier (1985) volume on the topic “The National Trust Guide to the Traditional Customs of Britain” by Brian Shuel, or, for a more academic treatise, then the works of Ronald Hutton shed more light on the history of many of these British traditions.
Having said that this is a short and whirlwind tour around the calendar custom year, I did feel that the author was trying to cover a little too much in this work as in addition to describing some of the main British Calendar Customs he also throws in sections on spells and charms as well as snippets of folklore background to events- interesting but probably better dealt with in their own volumes.
The book does have some lovely linocut illustrations.
Overall a nice little introduction to a fascinating topic.

I read this with my 11 year old daughter and we found it well researched, informative and funny at times. It was interesting to learn the origins of traditions we knew and many we didn’t.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Of course the oft forgotten heritage of Britain is still so fascinating to read about, but this particular National Trust book was a little bullet point-y at times. A little... dull, perhaps? It's still a fine read, and really was what I exactly was expecting. A classic book gift, where the reader will be only really laser focused on dipping in and out when on top the toilet or out in the garden getting some sun. A book you'll find on the shelves of garden centres and heritage sites. It's as interesting as you're willing to find it--newcomers probably won't be swayed to the hidden intricacies of the world we live in, but those who care to, will.

I did enjoy the book, l0ts of fascinating snippets to dip into throughout the year; eg the term Old Tosspot is actually ancient from the 13th century when people would toss a coin into a pot carried round during the Pac (Easter) play . It was very much a draft which made reading it tricky (I'm sure will be sorted once published). Very enjoyable.

Tad dry for my reading tastes, but a perfect Christmas stocking filler for those of us who love myths, legends and folklore.

Britain’s Folklore Year is an engaging guide with awesome linocut illustrations.
The book is great for
1) learning the whats - which folkloric customs there are in Britain.
2) learning about the origins of the above,
3) learning about the verses, literature etc written on the above.
As a writer, I took a lot of inspiration and will happily purchase a copy for myself and my friends.