Alas, I do not have access to any unpublished collections! Just to get that out there right away!

The Scandinavia idea is a nice one, I know a couple of those ballads.

Right now I'm not doing this for any particular reason; I was just curious as lately I've seemed to be on a bit of an obsessive hunt for ballad books and in the last year, I have found more and more; I wanted to know if this was because interest in them was declining or whether I just happened to be lucky.

Also, I met a lady who will only collect beautifully illustrated books, which I thought was interesting as many people seem comfortable buying old, tatty very unattractive copies, simply for their content. Again, I was wondering what was most popular about them; the illustrations or the more "artistic" side of them, or the content of them...and why!

EKanne, I do occasionally sing them at singarounds...but I'm afraid to say I don't have much of an ear for unaccompanied ballad singing (and I can't play an instrument!)