I found a copy of the Oxford Book of British Ballads for £4.00. Which is not much more than a pack of cigarettes. Best of all it is pocket-sized and will travel but still contains hundreds of ballads. if you're not too fussy about copies having to be old Llanerch Publishers are doing reprints of old song books, so are a couple of British publishers. Could get deatilsif you are interested. I got Manx songs and Ballads in Manx, with some tunes, and english Translations for £11.95. I don't know how that translates into dollars. They've also got things like bushes and briars and the odd Roy Palmer reprint.

Cheers Deni