Customer Reviews

The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, 5 Volume Set

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I own just one hardback volume of this collection, so when I saw the complete collection in paperback, I ordered it. Anyone interested in folk music knows how important it is. But while the hardback copy has the music, the paperback does not. I would not have bought it,if I had known this. This is one of the perils of buying over the internet. So if you only want the words, by all means buy it. But if you want the music, and these are ballads after all, save up for the hardbacks.

These volumes contain a fantastic collection of ballads from English and Scottish folklore. All the old favorites, such as King Arthur and Robin Hood, as well as some lesser known but wonderful tales are included. These books belong on the shelves of anyone interested in some of the unvarnished darker folklore of past centuries, alongside such works as Grimm's (original, complete) fairy tales, the fantasy works of Neil Gaiman, Peter S. Beagle, Susanna Clarke, or DiTerlizzi and Black's Spiderwick books. If you ever wondered about the folkloric sources behind some of the modern dark fantasy works, read these volumes.

This 5-volume collection, originally published in 10 volumes between 1882 and 1898, has long been "the" source for traditional English/Scottish ballads, complemented by Cecil Sharp's work. Like most collectors at the time, Child "edited" the often-earthy original versions to remove ribald content, which is a bit of a shame. But anyone interested in traditional balladry cannot ignore this collection.

Contrary to Asa Wahlquist's suggestion, the original never had the music to the tunes (with 51 exceptions collected in Vol. 5). In the late '50s and early '60s, Bertrand Bronson published a multi-volume hardback companion with music, a condensed one-volume paperback version of which used to be available (it's been OOP for quite a while, as has the hardback version). I would not recommend waiting for a hardcover version (of either the original or Bronson's work) to turn up (or be reprinted): Bronson's hardcover volumes are now selling for $200+ each, and the Dover hardcovers of the Child collection are going for about the same.

There is not much to say about this, since if you're keen on the traditional music of Scotland and England, you already know what a treasure trove these books are. And if you don't care about that music, you won't care about the books.

It's a treasure trove indeed, with the books being facsimiles of the original 10-volume edition, combined to make the current 5 volumes.

It's a pity Prof. Child didn't live longer, or have more help with the work. Many of the ballads are not exclusively Scots or English, but have parallels in other countries. Had Prof. Child had more time (vol. 10 was published after his death) or more help, he might have been able to give us the European versions too, in somewhat the same way the Langs collated folktales from multiple national traditions, and Prof. Afanas'ev collected folktales from the various Slavic traditions. Perhaps Prof. Child could even have come to some conclusions about the root versions of the shared story-songs.

(In my original review, I suggested that cover paintings be identified. It turns out that they are, though not in the usual place. You can find the names of the paintings given in quite small type on the back covers along the spine. I found vol. 2's painting, "Hard Times" by Sir Hubert von Herkomer, to be especially poignant, and am glad to know its name)

Perhaps Dover can get the rights to republish Bronson. What a combination that would make!

The most important points regarding Professor Child's work may be found by reading James Michener's The Drifters. No more respectful summary exists, to my knowledge.

This is serious musical study, no matter your level of study. Anyone who digs into this with a spoon will come up the richer, and those of us of Scots and Appalachian heritage will find much we already know, given to us with both hands by our grandmothers.

Buy this and stow it away on your shelves for your grandchildren.

This series is the motherlode of ballads. I was thrilled to find it available in print once again, after waiting for several years to find single volumes for sale. While, as another review notes, the music is not included in this paperback version, the many variations of different ballads, the extensive source notes and the sheer number of ballads make the set worth the investment. If a balladeer needs music for a specific song, there's always the library and inter-library loan to access older hardback versions.

This set is a wonderful resource for these ballads. Not just the ballads, but masses of interesting background to them. The price is incredibly low, and worth every cent. I am going to be reading them for a long time to come.

I cannot speak too highly of these books - of course, only for folkies who love the old English and Scottish ballads. Others would probably find them too much and rather boring!

One volume has a huge amount of information on the background to, and ballads about, Robin Hood. The references to early mentions (e.g. 'Piers Plowman') makes for a really in-depth look at this subject and is far more interesting and ancient than I, for one, had appreciated.

The original published version is far too rare and expensive, IMO, and good copies very hard to find. So, if you are interested, you'd be well advised to grab a set.

I'd rate is as absolutely first class.

MNW

A most impressive set of English and Scottish folktunes, with the good old extensive liner notes, in a convenient pocket format, and for a reasonable price. Pity that only American Amazon offers the whole set!