Superb. For anyone interested in either the words or origins of English & Scottish folk music this is essential. You can settle those arguments (over a beer) as to who has the correct words or the origin.

The biblography needs some getting used to but when you understand it you will find this book a good companion.

The English and Scottish Popular Ballads are, as noted here, out of print in their Dover edition ... but fear not, they are being re-issued (in 5 volumes, 2 of which are actually done) by the folks at Loomis House Press. (I am not affiliated with Loomis in any way; do a Google search if you want to find 'em.) The books are authoritative and complete, and it's disappointing that Amazon doesn't list them.

Had I the time, I'd write my own ballad here - a tragic song mourning the fact that Dover Books has apparently let the anchor of any decent Anglo-Celtic folk music collection go out of print. I take comfort in the fact that I've got mine, but those just building their libraries will have to search used bookstores and haunt the bookfinding services of the Net. Meanwhile, one more brick is placed in the wall of time that separates us from the ancestral voices.

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.

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.