Western Folklore is the journal of the Western States Folklore Society (formerly the California Folklore Society). The journal, which began publication in 1942 as the California Folklore Quarterly, is devoted to the description and analysis of regional, national, and international folklore and custom, and to the development and critique of folklore theory. Subscribers include folklorists, anthropologists, sociologists, historians, university and public libraries, historical societies, and museums. One volume is published per year, with four numbers per volume.

Through a collaborative program, the Western States Folklore Society and the American Folklore Society are making the back issues of Western Folklore available through individual subscriptions. For more information on obtaining access, please contact the American Folklore Society. The Western States Folklore Society (originally the California Folklore Society) was founded in 1941. The Society's mission is the study of all aspects of folklore, regional, national, and international, and the dissemination of the results of such study. The Society publishes one volume of Western Folklore per year, with four numbers per volume. The Society also holds a conference each year in the western United States.