Customer Reviews

"Lord Randal": And Other British Ballads (Dover Thrift Editions)

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The Dover Thrift edition of this book is a pretty good value. You get a handful of the great ballads Child gathered--like "Sir Patrick Spens", "The Unquiet Grave", "Lady Isabel ad the Elf-Knight", and "Bonny Barbara Allan"--without spending the fortune you would on the complete collection. It's a good introduction to the ballad, and these are some of the best written of the ancient British ballads.

Poetry is a means of understanding the human aspect of history. Pure history books do not illustrate the lives of the people. Great ballads are written in every culture to document the world that evolves around the common man. They also develop into tall tales which I feel is also valid on a cultural level. Contrary to the belief of many Americans, John Wayne was not the first folk hero in history. Francis James Child has collected a group of British ballads. These ballads give one an overview of British life through the ages. This is an abbreviated version of Childs collection. That is unfortunate since there is a wealth of great material that was cut from the ranks. Still ballads like Bonny Barbara Allen and The Unquiet Grave are glorious examples of folk poetry. I would reccommend this book as a beginner course. I hope to get my hands on a copy of the full collection. These ballads are classic components of English language literature.