OK, so declaring an interest, Steve Gardham was my English teacher at school (hi, Steve, Nigel here). Also, the original Marrowbones was one of the first songbooks I bought (over 20 years ago... gulp).

Not so much a review, more of a "well done," really. It works as a work of reference as well as a songbook -- which is more than the original did. Although that clearly wasn't the editor's fault.

My one gripe is the price of the thing -- again, something completely out of the editors' control. I know the EFDSS are skint, and that there isn't much of a market for such publications (sadly). But surely it could have been made a bit cheaper -- for instance, by using non-shiny (but still good-quality) paper. I also worry about how long the spine's going to last if I actually use it as a songbook. Especially given the stately pace that I work out musical accompaniments with. (I know, Steve. Finishing a sentence with a preposition. Sorry. [Is it even a preposition? Eep.])

Anyway, looking forward to the next installment.