To know Steve Roud is to -- be amazed.

In other words, let it be said that I have a slight personal bias. But I don't know Jacqueline Simpson, and my personal contacts with Steve Roud are slight; we live on different continents and almost certainly will never meet. I know him primarily through his Folk Song Index, one of the great works of ballad scholarship.

That same scholarship is evident here. This is a very thorough book, and gives more detail than any comparable modern volume. It lists key sources, and also provides clear cross-references.

It should be noted that the title is correct; it is a dictionary of English folklore. Not British, and certainly not world folklore. You won't find Scots or Irish or Welsh material here, let alone material from the rest of Europe. The scope is quite restricted. But, within that scope, the level of detail is substantial. It will probably be many, many years before something arises to replace Simpson & Roud. ( )

For me the best reference books are those which not only provide a entry matching your initial query but which also encourage you to browse and read other not always related entries. This Dictionary does it for me on both counts: authoritiveness and readability. Folklore here is rightly interpreted as including aspects of modern popular culture as well as topics beloved of antiquarians.

Authored by two stalwarts of the Folklore Society--who should then know what they are talking about--the Dictionary contains over 1250 entries covering a wide range of topics including seasonal customs, traditional tales, superstitions and beliefs. Key figures involved in the recording of lore are noted here, and evidence presented that folklore is part of a continually evolving process. What makes this book particularly worthwhile is that not all so-called traditional lore is accorded uncritical acceptance.

For those wanting more there are relevant references and a bibliography, and in common with many in this Oxford reference series, pretty pictures are excluded in favour of more text. ( )