£12.00

This new book from The History Press is a mixture of stories taken from the big British ballads and retold by some of the country’s leading oral storytellers. Most of them have contributed to the famous Folk Tales series.
The blurb on the back says:
“A ballad is a song that tells a story and many traditional British ballads contain fascinating stories – tales of love and jealousy, murder and mystery, the supernatural and the historical. This anthology brings together nineteen original retellings in short story form, written by some of the country’s most accomplished storytellers, singers and wordsmiths. Here you will find tales of cross-dressing heroines, lusty pirates, vengeful fairy queens, mobsters and monsters, mermaids and starmen – stories that dance with the form and flavour of these narrative folksongs in daring and delightful ways. Richly illustrated, these enchanting tales will appeal to lovers of folk music, storytelling and rattling yarns.”
Pete’s contribution to the mix is the little known ballad Willie’s Lady which is rarely sung because it has no authentic tune and is very long. Pete has renamed it Nine Witch Locks and attempted to tell it as if he is Stephen King!

Category: ISBN: 978-0-7509-7055-6.

Description

This new book from The History Press is a mixture of stories taken from the big British ballads and retold by some of the country’s leading oral storytellers. Most of them have contributed to the famous Folk Tales series.
The blurb on the back says:
“A ballad is a song that tells a story and many traditional British ballads contain fascinating stories – tales of love and jealousy, murder and mystery, the supernatural and the historical. This anthology brings together nineteen original retellings in short story form, written by some of the country’s most accomplished storytellers, singers and wordsmiths. Here you will find tales of cross-dressing heroines, lusty pirates, vengeful fairy queens, mobsters and monsters, mermaids and starmen – stories that dance with the form and flavour of these narrative folksongs in daring and delightful ways. Richly illustrated, these enchanting tales will appeal to lovers of folk music, storytelling and rattling yarns.”
Pete’s contribution to the mix is the little known ballad Willie’s Lady which is rarely sung because it has no authentic tune and is very long. Pete has renamed it Nine Witch Locks and attempted to tell it as if he is Stephen King!