The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the Olden Time: A History of the Ancient Songs, Ballads, and of the Dance Tunes of England, with Numerous Anecdotes and Entire Ballads; Also A Short Account of the Minstrels (Volumes I & II)

Complete in two volumes. [1885].  xx, 822, [4], with five plate illustrations and many further illustrations (mostly music samples) in text.  Both volumes uniformly bound in green buckram with bevelled edges, blind toolwork and gilt stamped lettering on upper panel and spine.  Brown endpapers.  4to.  Cloth heavily worn and rubbed, fraying and cracked at spine ends with some minor loss.  The boards of both volumes are detached.  Some staining and marks on endpapers else internally strong and clean barring some occasional minor foxing. A very hard to find set in their original edition, providing a comprehensive history of English folk songs, ballads and folk dance music. Heavy and imposing volumes.