author
Elsie Spicer Eells
1880–1963
A globe-trotting collector of folklore, she brought legends and fairy tales from Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the Azores to English-speaking readers. Her work blends curiosity, travel, and a lasting interest in oral tradition.
3 Audiobooks
The Islands of Magic: Legends, Folk and Fairy Tales from the Azores
by Elsie Spicer Eells
Tales of Giants from Brazil
by Elsie Spicer Eells
Fairy Tales from Brazil: How and Why Tales from Brazilian Folk-Lore
by Elsie Spicer Eells
About the author
Born in West Winfield, New York, in 1880, Elsie Spicer Eells became known for gathering and retelling folk stories from across the Atlantic world. She traveled widely in the early twentieth century and built her writing around the stories, customs, and legends she encountered.
She is especially remembered for books such as Fairy Tales from Brazil, Tales of Giants from Brazil, The Islands of Magic, and Puerto Rican Folk-Lore. Her writing helped introduce many readers in English to traditions from Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the Azores, presenting them in an accessible, story-centered way.
Eells died in 1963. Today she is chiefly of interest to readers who enjoy folklore, fairy tales, travel-inflected storytelling, and older collections shaped by firsthand curiosity about regional oral traditions.