The following list of recommended reading is based off of my Amazon guide Delve Into the Lore and Lure of Faery. By visiting that link you can also see additional book recommendations in addition to being able to purchase the books referenced.

 

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As an artist, I'm interested in how humans interact with and depict faeries in the present day. But as someone who is enamored with mythology, legend, etc. and also is academically inclined, I believe that artists can gain valuable touchstones to Faery through tradition and folklore which can deepen their work. I don't believe that modern people should be chained to the lore of the past or that Faery is immutable, but I do think that there is tremendous value in seeking the knowledge and experience of people whose daily lives were much more closely entwined with Faery and Nature than ours are. (Not to mention that the faeries of folklore are much more interesting and complex than their fantastical counterparts!)

Peter M. Rojcewicz, in his essay entitled Between One Eye Blink and the Next: Fairies, UFOs, and Problems of Knowledge highlights the importance of folklore to humanity:

Folklore, because of its generally unschooled, informal, and conservative nature, more clearly presents the outlines of the mind's organization than does the more self-conscious and stylistically variable popular and elite arts. Having a more intimate relationship with their own archetypal roots, traditional societies have lived closer to the quintessential spirit of nature, which employs the human mind as the context of its own 'individuation.' Nature individualizes it spirit in all forms of cognition, human or otherwise.[...]Anomalous folklore [...], would not, rightly speaking, point to a 'supernatural' realm but toward a natural order that embraces all life. Folklore, from this perspective, does not bring us further from reality, but brings us through our 'imaginal' archetypal roots to the nature's 'truth.' Folklore is never literally true, but it may always be fundamentally true.

In other words, folklore represents a collection of metaphorical truths. Unlike literature authored by one specific person, folklore was originally transmitted orally through numerous people, and through this process its most potent elements are preserved and distilled. Folklore then is a series of powerful guides to humanity's relationship with the landscape, life, death, and other beings (human and non-human) which has been stripped of its nonessential and extraneous tidbits.

 

Much of the "knowledge" we currently take for granted regarding Faery is actually derived from more contemporary literature than from folklore, including the extremely tiny stature of the elfin people, their delicate insect wings, and their rather benevolent nature towards humanity - traits that a great number of people mistakenly believe to be the defining characteristics of faeries. To say that all literature regarding faeries (including work from such luminaries as Shakespeare whose writings have had a profound influence on the modern view of faeries) is false is not entirely accurate, of course, because to do so would be to deny that Faery does genuinely inspire individuals. However, to take the views presented by literature as the only truths and to ignore the lessons of folklore regarding Faery is a grave mistake.

On to some recommended reading :)

Katherine Briggs is one of the greatest resources in the study of fairylore. She has written many books on the subject; The Fairies in Tradition and Literature (Routledge Classics), The Vanishing People and Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, & Other Supernatural Creatures (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) are simply the ones I've already added to my collection. The former is a great overall introduction to the fairylore of the British Isles but it also touches upon the perception and development of faeries within literature. The latter two are collections of more in-depth entries relating to various faery types, themes, and tales.

If you enjoy the encylopedic format, I would also suggest Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia. Although entries on faeries share a volume with entries on angels, demons, etc. its truly international content makes it a pleasant companion to Brigg's "An Encyclopedia of Fairies." Another text that falls within the same format would be Illustrated Encylopedia of Fairies.

As a concise introduction to traditional views of Faery, Fairy Lore is a great starting point. Originally published as "The Fairy Mythology," The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves & Other Little People is a collection of faery stories from many lands. The updated title is a bit misleading since the book is almost entirely Eurocentric in focus, but it is still a treasure-trove of tales. The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries: The Classic Study of Leprechauns, Pixies, and Other Fairy Spirits is a classic work which is particularly valuable in that Evans-Wentz not only collects the fairylore itself but also the beliefs of the people regarding faeries. The Secret Commonwealth: Of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies (New York Review Books Classics) is a short essay on Faery by a 17th century Scottish clergyman by the name of Robert Kirk. It is believed that because he revealed too much of Faery's nature with this work he was "taken" captive into the hollow hills himself. Elves, Wights, and Trolls: Studies Towards the Practice of Germanic Heathenry: Vol. I (Studies Towards the Practice of Germanic Heathenry) is a survey of fey within Germanic and Scandinavian culture. While the first portion is largely academic in nature, the second portion includes suggested rites for honoring Them firsthand.

Meeting the Other Crowd is a recently-collected volume of fairylore from Ireland. Although the purpose of compiling folklore can be academic, this book reads like a collection of short stories, drawing you in with every page, and it may well alter your view of Irish faeries forever. Another work which examines some of the less-pleasant aspects of traditional fairylore is At the Bottom of the Garden: A Dark History of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Nymphs, and Other Troublesome Things, however it also is concerned with the changing view of Faery in literature, culture, and media. An anthology of works by various folklorists, The Good People: New Fairylore Essays features writings about fairylore in Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Norway etc. as well as essays about the development of the American Tooth Fairy and the etymology of the word fairy. Some of the essays are drier reading than others, but it's interesting to find more contemporary pieces. A Fairy Tale Reader: A Collection of Story, Lore and Vision is another beautiful anthology of traditional tales of Faery as well as poetry, excerpts from more contemporary literature, and more personal reflections on Elfhame.

The Victorian conception of Faery has had a profound impact on shaping our modern stereotype of fairies as tiny, delicate, playful creatures with insect wings and pointed ears. This image is rarely supported in genuine world folklore and myth, but it is definitely worth investigating how this stereotype came about.Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness, Victorian Fairy Painting, and Fairy Art: Artists & Inspirations provide a great deal of background as to how the Victorians viewed and represented Faery.