The Book Of American Songs: with Notes, Biographical and Historical
London: Ward and Lock, 1857. First edition. Hardcover. Very scarce. First edition, (OCLC locates only 3 copies in book form) 24mo in floral paper covered boards over three quarter dark brown cloth. 128 pp. with topical index. A tight example, interior clean and bright; we suspect the floral paper on the boards is somewhat later than the bookissuance; there is rubbing and shallow edgewear to the spine strip. The second front black has some chipping along its edge. In his introductory remaks, the editor notes that the American colonies in the early days were largely dependent on Great Britain for their popular music (he ponders that if "..the Puritans pf Plymouth and Quakers of Pennsylvania sung...we can readity imagine that their vocalism was rather restricted...".. He notes that Americans looked to the mothjer country for their popular songs but notes that at the present day, American song traveled to Great Britain and "..the ear is assailed with those terrible concoctions of vulgarity and commonplace tune...it is fair to imagine the mother country had condescended to borrow from the sone{and} with rare exceptions, the adopted material is anything but creditable to John Bull's taste of musical propriety." This collection , he hopes , "will prove to the English reader that American writers can achieve something superior to "Old Dog Tray" and other feeble stupidities..." . The book is arranged by general subject matter: "Songs of Affection", "Pastural and Rural", "Military andPatriotic' (it contains "The Star Spangled Banner"), "Sea Songs" and "Miscellaneous" Very Good. Item #E19566
Price: $425.00