For 35 years, Hugh Lupton has been at the forefront of the oral storytelling tradition in Great Britain.

The renewed interest and subsequent flourishing of this tradition is in no small way a result of his work, vision and commitment. And underpinning this is a deep understanding of the essential role stories play in the human psyche.

From this collection spanning his career, including fiction, poetry, reviews, articles, talks and praise-songs, what emerges is a broad account of why our species remains so deeply connected both to the stories we tell and the land we inhabit; the relationship all peoples have with the landscape around them and how it shapes societies and the way they communicate. This is a story as old as Earth itself.

Drawing on his vast knowledge of folklore and legends from around the world, as well as an unrivalled experience of live storytelling, Lupton shows us how stories — always formed on the breath before the page — have nourished, taught and guided us for millennia.