We know that most folk songs that we sing today were derived from printed sources i.e. broadsheets. So is it OK according to what you have just said, if we publish songs one by one?

"Harry had a large collection of song books and sheets...... 'These consisted of newspaper sheets of songs, broadsides, chapbooks (mostly by Such) and songs in manuscript. These latter were written on loose sheets of paper and in two or three school-type exercise books... Overall the collection was quite sizeable - I suppose about 300/400 songs and ballads.' Bob added 'Harry was quick to point out that he did not write or read well - in fact he said he learnt to "draw" his signature so that he could sign documents... though he would admit to having his mother or someone else read the words of songs to him so that he could learn them.'"

From the sleeve notes of the Topic record of Harry.

We know that many songs were taken down from singers by collectors beginning with John Braodwood and passing on to Sharp, Baring-Gould and other collectors like Mike Yates and Jim Carroll. Are you suggesting that these people should not have disseminated those songs which they collected?

Many singers take collated versions of songs from different sources. How would they do this without books?

And finally Dick do you believe that books on music instruction for instruments also simply preserve techniques and that they shouldn't be published.

Finally let me declare an interest - I sell second-hand books about folk music. Perhaps Dick is wanting to put me out of business!!