Neil Philip

Neil Philip (1955-2026) was a British folklorist, poet, and children's author born in York. Fascinated by Arthurian legend from childhood, he wrote The Tale of Sir Gawain, his first full-length book for children, and went on to edit and retell folktales from many traditions, including American Fairy Tales, Celtic Fairy Tales, and The Illustrated Book of Myths. He also produced scholarly work on folk narrative and children's literature for adult readers. Philip lived in Oxford, where he worked as editorial director of a small publishing firm alongside his writing and editing career, building a body of work centered on retelling and studying traditional myth and legend for both children and scholars.