Introduction

Abstract

The first official meeting of the ISFNR’s Committee on Charms, Charmers and Charming took place in Pécs, Hungary, in 2007. But before this ‘historical’ meeting, there were two ‘pre-historical’ meetings of charms scholars held at the Warburg Institute in London, under the auspices of the [British] Folklore Society in 2003 and
2005. In organizing these events practically and financially, I had a great deal of help from Will Ryan, who at that time was both a committee member of the Folklore Society and Academic Librarian at the Warburg Institute. Indeed, without his support and advice, these events would not have taken place.