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26 May 01 - 01:41 PM (#470993) Subject: Cost of song books From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) I would like to have a library of folk songs in English, but cost is high because of the limited editions and the fact that once someone gets a copy, they don't turn it loose. I found Lomax, American Ballads and Folk Songs, at $90; Boni, Fireside Book of Folk Songs, 11 pr., at $80; the great Scottish work, A National Monument of Scottish Song, lists in Abebooks at $248 (it is 6vol. however); etc. etc.. Do others out there have a wish list of song books but must mortgage the homestead to get them? I would appreciate suggestions on good song books that are low in cost- if there is such a thing. Even the IWW Little red books are largely in the hands of collectors now. |
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26 May 01 - 03:00 PM (#471020) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Malcolm Douglas Patience and persistence can pay off sometimes, but the likelihood of getting a set of Bronson for £20 -as a friend of mine once did, the bastard- is pretty remote! Still, a lot of standard texts do turn up at affordable prices if you're not too worried about the state of the bindings. So far as books in print in Britain and Ireland are concerned, there is a list of some of the more authoritative collections which are currently in print, here: Dave Herron's Chapbook. It was compiled by Dave Herron (Eckersley) of the Traditional Song Forum a couple of years ago, and I've recently updated it a bit. It is not an exhaustive list, and concentrates on the better examples, omitting the "coffee table" variety of modern anthology, but there are some useful books there. Llanerch Publishers in particular have reprinted a number of important texts, such as Frank Kidson's Traditional Tunes, Bruce and Stokoe's Northumbrian Minstrelsy and so on, but they are going out of business in the near future, so don't delay! I'm not up to speed on American collections in print, but there have been a few threads relating to the subject in the past where you may find further useful information. Unfortunately, a lot of online booksellers (Amazon is a prime offender) insist on listing books as in print which, when you order them, turn out to be unavailable. Malcolm |
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26 May 01 - 03:02 PM (#471022) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Amergin Boy...I got my copy of that Lomax book for around ten bucks....and my copy of American Songbag for five.... |
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26 May 01 - 03:05 PM (#471027) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: katlaughing Most of Lomax, if not all, has been republished in low cost paperback format, from the 1980's on. If you go to Amazon.com, prefereably through the link on the support Mudcat page, accessed by clicking on the fish jumping out of the banjo, up top, there are a lot of Lomax books there in a great variety of price ranges. You might also check www.bookfinder.com Good luck, kat
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26 May 01 - 04:17 PM (#471063) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: nutty Second-hand bookshops are still a good source of cheap material. Community song books and folksong books for schools can be picked up for a few pounds. If it's ballads you are looking for then go to the poetry section - you'll find plenty of cheap books there. Last year I picked up an almost new, hardback, Special Edition copy of " A Song for Every Season " by Bob Copper which had been put in the biography section. |
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26 May 01 - 04:25 PM (#471067) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) Malcolm, David Herron's Chapbook is a real starting point. Thank you very much. There are only a few used bookshops in this area and the owners watch international prices closely, so few if any bargains nowadays. I prefer hardcover if I can afford it. On another thread, I mentioned the difficulty in getting Lomax's Cowboy Songs (revised 1938 and later eds.). The stateside and English dealers I approached through Abebooks had all sold their copies. I finally got one copy from Australia and another from Denmark (my daughter had to have one too). I recently tried for a friend and got no hits. |
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26 May 01 - 04:53 PM (#471070) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Metchosin I have had great success for out of print books over the past three years or so with abebooks.com I just did a search there for Alan Lomax and came up with about 250 publications by him, ranging in price from $9.50 US to $90.00 US. So far I have never had any difficulty with getting the books in a timely manner and the booksellers I have dealt with have been great. I have used the Exchange to order books from Australia, Britain and the US. |
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26 May 01 - 06:07 PM (#471095) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) I am a heavy buyer from Abebooks since my main emphasis is on western American history and Indian culture. With the Lomax books, however, the editions I want (revised, hardback) are not cheap or I get the message no longer available. As you say, however, Abebooks (and Alibris) are the best sources since so many booksellers work through them. I will have to go with paperback for material from the British Isles and Ireland, and the Herron list on the South Riding Folk Network, provided by Malcolm, already has me putting out inquiries. |
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26 May 01 - 06:08 PM (#471096) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Metchosin Dicho, had the thread up earlier before your last post and didn't notice you had already tried abebooks. But I did do a search for Lomax's Cowboy songs and there are currently 21 copies of the book available. |
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27 May 01 - 04:44 AM (#471236) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Deni 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
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27 May 01 - 05:37 AM (#471240) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Amergin Oh I Mentioned on another thread that I found (today) at powells.com two copies of Lomax's American Ballads and Folk Songs for under ten bucks.... |
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27 May 01 - 10:03 AM (#471277) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Pinetop Slim I paid $15 for a first edition of "Songs of All Time," a 64-page pocket-size songbook published in 1946, then learned I could have gotten a reprint for $7.50 or so from World Around Songs Inc. in Burnsville, N.C. Company has reprints of several pocket songsters and has an inventory of a couple thousand songs set in type. |
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27 May 01 - 10:25 AM (#471280) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Malcolm Douglas Contact details for Llanerch Publishers are available through the link I gave above, but it may be worth reproducing the note here: IMPORTANT NOTE: Llanerch Publishers.... are shortly ceasing production. They are at present negotiating with a possible buyer who would continue with the mail-order list, but anybody wishing to acquire any of their reprints, which also include collections of traditional dance music, folklore, medieval history and so on, would be well advised to do it soon. Contact details: Post: Llanerch Publishers, Felinfach, Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales SA 48 8PJ Phone & Fax: (01570) 470567 Email: llanerch@talk21.com (Short messages only). Website: http://www.llanerch-publishers.co.uk The website contains their full catalogue, which is well worth looking at. Malcolm |
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27 May 01 - 01:49 PM (#471357) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Gypsy Powells rules! Have found more stuff thru them. And they understand that i don't wish to MARRY a first edition, just want to use it to play the bloody music. Most of Lomax is under reprint, and should be available cheaply. Bronson, on the other hand...i've heard a million stories about it being seen for $50.00 (american) but i've never seen it. Got that one thru books on demand, far less than an original. But still had to hock the car. :) |
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27 May 01 - 02:35 PM (#471383) Subject: RE: BS: Cost of song books From: Amergin Yeah, gypsy, I the other day for Mother's day I found a complete volume of Zenna Henderson's stories about the People (The People: No Different Flesh and such...). This volume even included a few stories that were not in the previous books and a story that never saw print before....plus they had a store locator there that showed which store had it so I was able to pick it up on my way home from work! One of my favourite bookstores... |