We include below a very select list of books and other texts, with short annotations, to help you explore further. This list includes several books referred to in entries to the interactive Lincolnshire Folk Tales Map on this website, and concentrates on sources that are either in print at trade price, or otherwise readily available. It does not include (often expensive) academic books or subscription-only texts, though you are welcome to contact us to ask for specific recommendations. Many website links are provided in individual folk tale entries on the map, so are not replicated here. See the folk tale map entries to discover those links.
Brandon, David, Haunted Lincoln (History Press, 2009).
A counterpart to Haunted Lincolnshire by Daniel Codd (see below), focused largely on the city.
Briggs, Katharine M., Folk Tales of Britain (The Folio Society, 2011).
This three-volume compendium of British folk tales was first published in 1970, and republished, with illustrations, by the Folio Society in 2011. It is beautiful and well-referenced, and includes a good share of Lincolnshire folk tales.
Cherrell, K., ed., Not of this Wold (Pylon Phaser, 2025).
‘An anthology of weird Lincolnshire writing’, including some retold folk tales and some nonfiction work exploring folk tales.
Clark, David, It Happened in Lincolnshire (Merlin Unwin, 2016).
A wide-ranging, entertaining and well researched book, the second chapter of which in particular details several Lincolnshire myths and legends.
Codd, Daniel, Haunted Lincolnshire (Tempus, 2006); Daniel Codd, Mysterious Lincolnshire (Breedon Books, 2007).
The former is a catalogue of ghost anecdotes from around the county, and is probably the most detailed and up-to-date volume of its kind. The latter is a detailed, often historically astute guide to local myth and superstition, especially of the darker kind, with many photographs.
Crossley-Holland, Kevin, The Dead Moon (Faber, 1982); Kevin Crossley-Holland, Long Tom and the Dead Hand (Faber, 1992); Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Old Stories (Colt, 1997).
These three books include sparkling renditions of many folk tales from Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, written by one of our finest living authors and poets.
Gray, Adrian, Lincolnshire Tales of Mystery and Murder (Countryside Books, 2004).
This book essentially has a focus on verifiable fact, as its title suggests, but includes chapters that give context to many events that have influenced folk tales, as well as chapters on phenomena such as big cats and alleged UFOs.
Gray, Adrian, Tales of Old Lincolnshire (Countryside Books, 1990).
A selection of twenty-four folk tales and unusual historical narratives, each told in a very engaging style.
Gutch, Eliza and Mabel Peacock, eds, Examples of Printed Folk-Lore Concerning Lincolnshire (David Nutt, 1908).
A compendium of folklore from earlier printed sources, including some folk tales. It has long been out of print, but is freely available online: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.106716/mode/2up.
Howat, Polly, Ghosts and Legends of Lincolnshire and the Fen Country (Countryside Books, 1992).
Outlines a good selection of tales, about half from Lincolnshire and half from the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Fens, in alphabetic order of their settings.
James, Maureen, Lincolnshire Folk Tales (History Press, 2012).
If you want one very readable book of Lincolnshire folk tales in modern prose, many contextualised, this is it. This book is part of a series, and James has also written the Cambridgeshire counterpart.
Milon, Anna and Rory Waterman, eds, Lincolnshire Folk Tales Reimagined (Five Leaves, 2025).
This project’s anthology, including work by fourteen of the finest authors associated with the county, each taking as inspiration one or more Lincolnshire-based or -derived folk tales. the book also includes comprehensive notes on the original tales, provided by the editors, and authors’ notes on engaging with folk tales in their writing. Available here, and from all good booksellers.
O’Neill, Susanna, Folklore of Lincolnshire (History Press, 2013).
An entertaining, wide-ranging journey through local legend and superstition, with many photographs.
Rudkin, Ethel H., Lincolnshire Folklore (Beltons, 1936).
This book gathers material collected orally, and is a fine and slightly later counterpart to Gutch and Peacock. It ran to a second edition with new preface in the 1970s, but both are out of print; the excellent Local Studies section of Lincoln Central Library is among libraries where copies can be read. However, the book has been reproduced with further pictures from Rudkin’s collection in an edition edited by Robert Pacey and available from the Ebay shop Old Lincolnshire Books and Music.
Simpson, Jacqueline and Steve Roud, A Dictionary of English Folklore (OUP, 2000).
A useful and entertaining reference guide, explaining many terms and traditions. This book obviously isn’t specific to Lincolnshire, but is perhaps the best book of its kind on the market.
Smith, Martin, Stamford Myths & Legends (Paul Watkins, 1991).
A beautifully illustrated collection of Stamford legends, historical anecdotes, and notable personages.
Sutton, Maureen, A Lincolnshire Calendar (Paul Watkins, 1997).
Thorough, well researched, and frequently very entertaining and informative, with occasional mentions of specific folk tales.
Turner, Derek, Edge of England: Landfall in Lincolnshire (Hurst, 2022).
Part-travel memoir, part-history of the county, beautifully written and incorporating several legends.
Wade, Stephen, The A-Z of Curious Lincolnshire (History Press, 2011).
An enjoyable compendium that includes several folk tales.
Lucy Wood, The Little Book of Lincolnshire (History Press, 2016).
A wide-ranging book of thirteen chapters, including one on folklore and another called ‘The Supernatural County’.
Wray, Michael, 13 Traditional Ghost Stories from Lincolnshire (N.P., 2003).
Fun renditions of several local folktales with a ghostly element, illustrated by Anne Marshall.
Zajac, Camilla, Lincolnshire Ghost Stories (Bradwell Books, 2017).
A pocket-sized collection of ghost stories around the county, location by location, category by category (‘Spooky Towns’, ‘Pubs with Extra Spirits’, etc).
If you would like to propose the addition of an especially relevant book that is in print or otherwise widely available, please get in touch!
Lincolnshire Folk Tales Project 