Unriddling the World

Fifty timeless myths, legends and folktales retold by one of Britain's greatest storytellers.

‘Read and be enraptured’ Erica Wagner 

For more than forty years, Hugh Lupton has been one of Britain's most celebrated storytellers, bringing myths, legends and folktales from around the world to audiences of all ages. In Unriddling the World, he gathers fifty of the stories that have stayed with him throughout his career: tales of tricksters and heroes, transformations and journeys, wisdom and wonder.

Drawn from traditions across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, these are stories that have travelled through centuries, carried from voice to voice and generation to generation. Adapted for the spoken word, Lupton's retellings capture the rhythm, energy and immediacy of live storytelling.

A rich treasury of traditional tales and a celebration of the stories that connect us, Unriddling the World is both an invitation to read and an invitation to tell.

‘A landmark in the modern storytelling revival’ Ronald Hutton

‘Read and be enraptured by the deepest magic of all: the absolute truth of the mythworld that binds us beyond time, across cultures’ Erica Wagner

‘Hugh Lupton is our finest British storyteller, and this marvellous worldwide anthology abounds with tales of endurance and compassion, friendship and wit. It’s his outstanding and lasting legacy’ Kevin Crossley-Holland

‘Not only a superbly rich anthology of stories, but a score for performance. These are tales that are orchestrated for the living voice, and the interaction of teller and hearer’ Rowan Williams

PAPERBACK OUT NOVEMBER 2026. AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER NOW

Hardback: 352pp

Published: Wilton Square (November 2025)

ISBN: 9781806770168

Paperback: 352pp 

Published: Wilton Square (November 2026) 

ISBN:  9781806770199