A reproduction of what William West calls the first edition of the Robin Goodfellow tale to appear in printed form (though some argue there was an earlier printed edition as far back as 1588). This brief but important work represents the culmination of thousands of years of European tales of the fairy folk, hobgoblins and a host of other creatures whose residence lies just beyond the normal range of human perception. The persona of Robin Goodfellow is well known throughout Western and Northern Europe. He is the equivalent of the Scottish Brownie, the Scandinavian Nis God-Dreng (Nis Good-Lad), as well as the Kobold of Germany and Yorkshire's Boggart and Barguest. According to tradition, there are two general classes of fairy folk: the first being the rural elvin creatures inhabiting the forests, mountains and woodlands, and the second being the domestic spirits whom inhabit a particular household or often adopt a family of their liking. It is of the second sort that Robin Goodfellow belongs.