A classic and charming book first published in 1873, this is a collection of poems written on the farm about families, love, death, money, nature and the out-of-doors with equally charming illustrations. The book was the number one bestseller in its publication year.

As one can surmise from the title, this book is a collection of ballads inspired by life in the rural regions. More than two dozen titles are featured here, including 'Johnny Rich', 'Uncle Sammy', 'Our Army of the Dead', and 'Apples Growing'. Here's an excerpt from 'Johnny Rich': "Raise the light a little, Jim / For it's getting rather dim / And, with such a storm a-howlin', 'twill not do to douse the glim / Hustle down the curtains, Lu."

Reproduction of the original: City Ballads by Will Carleton

The Gory Stories Behind The Murder Ballads Cheerfully vulgar, revelling in gore, and always with an eye on the main chance, murder ballads are tabloid newspapers set to music, carrying word of the latest ‘orrible murders to an insatiable public. Victims are bludgeoned, stabbed or shot in every verse and killers often hanged, but the songs themselves never die. Instead, they mutate – morphing to suit local place names as they criss cross the Atlantic and continue to fascinate each generation’s biggest musical stars. Paul Slade traces this fascinating genre’s history through eight of its greatest songs. Stagger Lee’s “biographers” alone include Duke Ellington, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Dr John, The Clash and Nick Cave. No two tell his story in quite the same way. Covering eight classic murder ballads, including “Knoxville Girl”, “Tom Dooley” and “Frankie & Johnny”, Slade investigates the real-life murder which inspired each song and traces its musical development down the decades. Billy Bragg, The Bad Seeds’ Mick Harvey, Laura Cantrell, Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family and a host of other leading musicians add their own insights.