And from the introduction to The Penguin Book of English Folk Song comes one of the true classics of folk misinformation:

A search for the roots of jazz leads to American folk song, and a search for the origins of American folk song leads the astonished enthusiast back home to his own traditional music.

Astonished indeed.

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What's the cover of the new edition? On my first visit to the Walker Gallery in Liverpool I was delighted to see W. F Witherington's The Dancing Bear that graces the cover of my 1968 paperback.