Song Book Index

A PEPYSIAN GARLAND - online book

Black-letter Broadside Ballads Of The years 1595-1639
Chiefly From The Collection Of Samuel Pepys

Edited By Hyder E. Rollins, PH.D. New York University, Published By The University Press, Cambridge, Circa 1922

Home Main Menu Singing & Playing Order & Order Info Support Search Voucher Codes



Share page  Visit Us On FB

Broadside Ballads
About This Book

PERHAPS the most important of all the treasures— apart from the inimitable Diary—in the library bequeathed by Samuel Pepys to Magdalene College, Cambridge, is his collection of broadside ballads. These were grouped loosely according to subject-matter and provided with title-pages and descriptive headings in Pepys's own hand before being bound into five large folio volumes. The first title-page runs: My Collection of Ballads. Vol. I. Begun by Mr Selden; Improv'd by ye addition of many Pieces elder thereto in Time; and the whole continued to the year 1700. When the Form, till then peculiar thereto, viz1, of the Black Letter with Picturs, seems (for cheapness sake) wholly laid aside, for that of the White Letter without Pictures. Nearly every broadside in the first four volumes is printed in black-letter type, while in the fifth volume appear only broadsides in roman and italic type. Ballads of a com­paratively early date—almost none later than 1640—are found in the first volume, those in the other volumes being, for the most part, printed during the years 1660—1700. It seems likely that the majority of the older ballads came from John Selden's collection.



You may also be interested in other Traditional, Folk and Old Songs related items on this site: