Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This should be a series, not a single volume!, July 22, 2003
Songs, obviously, have a musical component. Ballads, specifically, have more than just words; they have stories to tell as well. Now, thanks to Charles Vess, they have their visual side, too.In his book Ballads, collected from earlier issues of his Book of Ballads and Sagas, Vess gives a new aspect to folk songs passed down through the ages. Visually stunning, his black and white illustrations expose the true faces of the heroes and villains of song. Vess drew on the writing talents of writers Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen, Charles de Lint, Midori Snyder, Sharyn McCrumb, Delia Sherman and Jeff Smith to give focus to the words, tightening the ballads into short story-length vignettes. Combined, their work is a wonderful way to re-expose yourself to the ballads. Anyone new to the folk song milieu will likely be inspired to track down some of the recordings listed in Ken Roseman's accompanying discography. Ballads is a delightful collection, both for the text and the art which helps tell the story.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charles Vess' "Ballads" is compelling and exquisite., June 21, 1999
By A Customer
"Ballads" is the trade paperback collection of Vess' four-issue "Book of Ballads and Sagas" comic book. Writers include Neil Gaiman, Charles deLint, Jane Yolen, and Sharyn Crumb. The stories are all based upon songs such as "Twa Corbies," "Barbara Allen," and "Tam Lin." They are all exceptionally well-written, and the illustrations are beautiful, sensitively drawn pen and ink work by one of today's finest proponents of fantasy art. Mr. Vess' work has been compared to Arthur Rackham's, and believe me, he certainly doesn't suffer by the comparison. This book will be loved and treasured not just by afficionados of fantasy, but also by fans of folk music, and by all those who appreciate truly fine artwork.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
There's never enough Vess, May 6, 2004
In this book, Vess has taken a number of classical and modern ballads, and filled in the visual story around them. The drawn narrative is a varied as the stories. Some pictures, like the whole-page birth scene, are entire stories in themselves. Not many people can put as much into black and white a Vess, as this book demonstrates.I wish I could give this book five stars, but this isn't the greatest presentation of his work. His best work has a very delicate line. Maybe it was just the printing process, but this book came through in a coarser style. His black and white work is outstanding, but I like his color work too - this book was not able to show any of Vess' skill as a colorist. These short stories fit nicely with Vess' renderings of operas and other long pieces. I recommend this book to anyone who already like his art. If you're a newcomer, though, other books give a better idea of why his work is so special.
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