I illustrated and designed the cover for a new book from Culture Vannin, Ghosts, Bugganes & Fairy Pigs. They wanted a spookier take on my graphic Minimann style to reflect the contents of the book, so I created a nighttime Cregneash scene based on the region where the stories take place. I loved working in this moodier colour palette and their team was so easy to work with, it was a great project to do together. The book is now available in local Manx bookshops and at culturevannin.im.
Ghosts, Bugganes & Fairy Pigs is one of the most important books of Manx folklore ever published. It offers one of the richest sources of traditional tales from the Isle of Man, including fairies, bugganes, ghosts, giants, witches and so much more. Collected over a hundred years ago by Karl Roeder, it is reprinted here for the first time since 1904 and now includes exciting additional material. Stories include the origins of Hunt the Wren, the murdered witch of Slieu Whallian, and perhaps the Isle of Man’s oldest UFO sighting…
The book is one of the richest sources of traditional tales from the Isle of Man, much of which was gathered from Edward Faragher – ‘Ned Beg Hom Ruy’ – the legendary poet of Cregneash. As well as folklore, it contains fascinating pieces on history, language, literature and other things of Manx interest, as well as some more theoretical discussions of Manx matters unmatched then or since. All of it has been faithfully transcribed and introduced by Stephen Miller, whose knowledge of the material is second to none. Anyone interested in the Isle of Man will find this book enormously fascinating and endlessly rewarding.
