Customer Reviews

The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes

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This is the seminal publication on nursery rhymes, IMO. The Opies have been collecting information about nursery rhymes for more than 50 years. The second edition of their OD of NR was published last year (1997) and is greatly updated on the first. It includes indepth analysis of over 550 nursery rhymes. I've been unable to find a NS of my knowledge that isn't included in there.

It makes a great present for a new-born, or his/her parents more like!

This is the second edition, published in 1997, of the original Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, also by Iona and Peter Opie, which appeared in 1951. The Preface to the Second Edition explains that the authors gathered many new references over the intervening four decades, and thanks several correspondents for still further additions and corrections. There is, consequently, much more information in the apparatus of the newer edition. However, the revisions are not thorough enough; I still get the sense that I am reading a book put together in the years after World War II.

For one thing, the Introduction appears to have been completely untouched; there are no references to any publication after 1951 (with the exception of references to two recent compilations by the Opies), and most date from the 1940's (for example, the reference on p. 3 to "two admirable Presidential Addresses by Lord Raglan to the Folk-Lore Society, 20 Mar. 1946, and 5 Mar. 1947"). Moreover, the discussion evinces a strange English elitism that may have seemed conventional six decades ago, but has not worn well with time. For example, the Opies seem to consider it a great fillip to the status of nursery rhymes that some of them can be shown to have been written by respected members of the English upper class; but we would consider these figures second or third-rate authors today (for example, Sir Charles Sedley). Also, there is too much blue-blooded in-group banter; for example, under "Bo Peep," one finds this assertion: "it is on record that in his early days Irving played the part of the wolf in Little Bo-Peep at Edinburgh." OK, who is Irving? If you want your book to be read by the generations that succeed you, you must not make allusions that are comprehensible only to your peers and coevals.

Finally, the book is unnecessarily difficult to use. I STILL cannot find "Pop Goes the Weasel" in here; either I am an idiot or the indices are inadequate. I think the latter.

I received a book "The Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes". It is a great book full of insights to the origins of all the popular and not so well known rhymes. The package arrived in Australia about 3 weeks before the expected delivery date. Well done Amazon.

Covering all kinds of rhymes, songs and riddles from the familiar to more obscure ones, the Opies give the history of each with b/w illustrations. Amazing to see the text of 'I have four sisters' written in the early 14th century. Also to learn the derivation of poems we think of as intrinsically English; thus 'as I was going to St Ives' comes from a Latin version of 1200 where 7 men were traveling to Rome, each with 7 donkeys with 7 sacks... Or to read that 'ladybird, ladybird, fly away home' has almost identical versions in France, Germany and Scandinavia and is thought to date from ancient pagan worship. Really unputdownable

I brought this book because in my music and movement class we were discussing how certain song, rhymes, and nursery fables cam about. I love this book, it's very interesting; however, it didn't have many of the interesting comments my professor was telling the class in it. I had to do more web searching to find an even deeper background, but I will keep and recommend this book.

This book is for adults who are interested in the origin of nursery rhymes. Do not buy this book for children. There are hardly any illustration and none of them are in color.

It's simply wonderfull! More than 500 nursery rhymes, lullabies and riddles with great and interesting notices about origin.

It's simply wonderfull! More than 500 nursery rhymes, lullabies, riddles with intresting notices about origin. A real treasure for me and for my site: www.filastrocche.it.

I think there are different versions of this book. The one I have has a beatiful frog on the front, that looks so classic, so old fashioned. The book has lots of rhymes and dad enjoys it because it is so complete. I only like it when mum or dad read the rhymes to me - I must admit thought there are some in there that I did not see anywhere else. Valerie.