Ashton collects the cheap ballads sung and sold in Britain’s streets during the nineteenth century, printed within hours of any newsworthy event. They cover the sale of a wife, strikes and hard times, the income tax, the treats of London, crimes, politics and domestic grievances, each presented with its chorus and a short note on its background.
A lively record of what ordinary Victorians sang about, valuable to social historians and lovers of folk song. Download the free EPUB.