Folklore & Folksong | Invisible Books

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Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers | The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers: Election of the Mayor of Ock Street | n.p. | n.d. | A single sheet of paper, approx. 25.5 x 16.5 cm, folded in half to make a 4 page publication, with text on the two central pages. The sheet has been folded over a second time, presumably so that it would fit inside an envelope. Faint lingering scent of tobacco. | £20

Jim Carroll, Malcolm Taylor | The Leaves of Life: The Field Recordings of Fred Hamer | English Folk Dance and Song Society | 1989 | Stapled pamphlet produced to accompany Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Audio Cassette VWML 003 (this listing is for the book only, not the tape). Lingering scent of tobacco, a couple of small pressure marks on the front cover, one of which is discernable on the first page of the book. | £20

Sydney Carter | Songs of Sydney Carter In the Present Tense 1 | Galliard |1969 | Stapled pamphlet. This thin booklet appears to have been carried around loose in a bag at some time, & is rather bent, with a crumpled top edge, hence grading. Otherwise in very good condition. | £10

E. C. Cawte | Ritual Animal Disguise | D. S. Brewer | 1978 | 859910288 First edition in jacket. A little discolouation to upper edge of jacket, most evident at top of spine. Book has a faint lingering scent of tobacco, top of spine bumped, otherwise in very good condition. | £500

J. G. Frazer | The Golden Bough (complete 12 volume set) | Macmillan | 1933 | A complete reading set of The Golden Bough, which would benefit from rebinding. Third edition, these volumes are reprints of 1925-1933. Ownership signature on front pastedown of many volumes. Some previous owner has pasted the overall volume numbers of the individual volumes about three quarters of the way down their spines. Some of these numbers have subsequently come adrift altogether, while others are chipped & worn. Please note the following faults to individual volumes: Part I/1 Edges of spine badly worn, loss to top of spine, blue ink mark on spine, a few instances of marginal marking in plain & coloured pencil; Part I/2 Some loss to top of spine, join of spine/front panel split, pencil marking in the margin of at least one page; Part II Some loss to top of spine, pencil marking in the margins of a few pages; Part III Top of spine worn, short split to join of spine/back panel; Part IV/1 Top of spine worn, with a little loss, considerable loss to edge of spine adjoining front panel; Part IV/2 Extremities of spine worn, with a little loss; Part V/1 Top of spine worn; Part V/2 Some loss to top of spine; Part VI Top of spine worn, heavy marginal marking in regular pencil, coloured pencil, & ink on pp.42-69; Part VII/1 Extremities of spine worn, with a little loss, a few pages clumsily cut with no damage to the text area, intermittent marginal marking in pencil, coloured pencil, & ink; Part VII/2 Loss to top of spine, a few instances of marginal marking; Bibliography & General Index Considerable loss to top of spine, join of spine/front panel split, join of spine/rear panel reinforced with clear tape, ink mark on lower edge of page-block, some pencil marking against entries in bibliography & index. This is a reading set only, with a faint lingering scent of tobacco. | £400

Woody Guthrie; Al Brackman et al (eds) | Folk Songs | Ludlow Music | 1961 | Cover & edge worn: although the sewn binding remains firm, the paper layer of the lower third of the spine is split, with some loss. Errata sheet included, with previous owner’s folk music & football notes on reverse. Ink marking beside some titles in contents list. One page corner folded over. Lingering scent of tobacco. | £30

Christina Hole | British Folk Customs | Hutchinson | 1976 | 91273404 First printing in unclipped jacket. Upper corner of front panel of jacket is creased, with a 1cm closed tear. Spine very slightly faded. Light mark on upper edge of page-block, which does not extend onto main page area. Book has a faint lingering scent of tobacco. | £100

Geoff Lester, Paul and Georgina Smith | Castleton Garland | Survey of Language and Folklore | 1972 | Stapled pamphlet consisting of a card cover, printed on one side, & a single sheet of folded A4 paper, containing 4pp of text. Visually, in very good condition, but has a lingering scent of tobacco smoke. | £20

A. L. Lloyd (ed.) | Coaldust Ballads | Workers’ Music Association | 1952 | Some wear to corners, worn patch near the lower edge of the front cover, publisher’s address crossed through on front cover & updated with a rubber stamp on both front & back covers. Top corner of thin book lightly creased, lingering scent of tobacco. | £20

Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger; Irwin Silber (intr.) | The Ewan MacColl – Peggy Seeger Songbook | Oak | 1963 | Third printing. Unlaminated cover is rubbed at the edges, lightly marked on the back. Book has a faint lingering scent of tobacco. | £25

Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl (eds) | The Singing Island | Mills Music | 1960 | Paperbound collection of folksongs with a rather tatty cover, sunned at the spine & edge. There is damage to the cover at the top of the spine & the lower corner of the front cover. There is also a water stain at the lower corner of the front cover, & some offset from the cover onto the first page of the book. Lingering scent of tobacco smoke. | £50

Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl (eds) | Songs for the Sixties | Workers’ Music Association | 1961 | Stapled pamphlet. The top corners of many pages have been folded over, a couple triply so, presumably to make navigation more easy. Pen notation to the music of the Ballad of Springhill. Lingering scent of tobacco smoke. | £20

Cecil J. Sharp | Words of Folk-Songs (Including Ballads and Pulling Chanteys), Book I | Novello | 1951 | Stapled pamphlet with original price overstamped with a higher one on cover & title page. Quite a few pages have had their top corners folded over. Lingering scent of tobacco smoke. | £20

Paul and Georgina Smith | Christmas Greetings | Survey of Language and Folklore, University of Sheffield | 1972 | Stapled pamphlet, rather browned at edges, with a lingering scent of tobacco smoke. Price label on front cover, & a blob of liquid paper, presumably over a previous price, on the back. | £20

Enid Welsford | The Fool | Faber | 1968 | Reissue in jacket. Original price has been snipped off front flap & a decimal price added. A few closed tears to edge of jacket, a little loss around extremities of spine. Book itself in excellent condition. | £100

Blanche Winder; Harry G. Theaker (illus.) | Stories of King Arthur | Ward Lock | n.d. | An attractive copy, with some wear & discoloration to its cloth cover. The book is undated, but there is an ownership inscription dated 1949 on the reverse of the ffep. All plates are present, & look very good indeed, but there is a light crease in the blank area of the page featuring an illustration of the Questing Beast on p.172, & the lower outer tip of p.319 has become folded over, well outside the area occupied by the illustration. | £30