A collection of African American songs and rhymes, some of which in their original African language followed by translations, all of which concluded with an essay not only describing the content and the manner in which the songs and rhymes were told, sung and danced to, but also the effect they had on the minds of African Americans living through the days of slavery and following until 1922.

While his father works in the city over the winter, a young boy thinks of some good times they've shared and looks forward to his return to their South African home in the spring.

In 1922, Talley, a black chemistry professor at Fisk U. in Nashville, published the first collection of American black folksongs. The initial international acclaim for the book faded as attention turned to blues and spirituals. The new edition includes material from Talley's unpublished papers. Many of the over 300 songs are accompanied by musical scores. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR