A should-read for all people who have anything to do with the Faires...This is a historical study of the Faires, how the first one(s) came about, the people who created it, the cultural surroundings that have shaped it and changed it over the half century of it's existence. It explains how many of the continuing arguments about what is authentic, what isn't, should it be family-friendly, should it expand outside of the Renaissance and/or Medieval Eras, arose and continue...discussions of what have become Faire traditions as opposed to historical traditions (ie turkey legs, pretty much at every Faire, certainly not available in Renaissance England). How the Faire changed culture outside of the Faire as well (The Free Press newspaper began as The Faire Press, for instance). Highly recommended. Author: Rachel Lee Rubin