This definitive 19th-century collection compiles all the extant ballads with all known variants and features Child's commentary for each work. Volume III includes Parts V and VI of the original set — ballads 114–188.

English and Scottish Ballads (Vol. 1-8) is a comprehensive collection of traditional folk songs and ballads from England and Scotland. These volumes showcase the rich oral tradition of storytelling and lyrical beauty found in the balladry of the British Isles. The ballads cover a wide range of themes including love, betrayal, murder, and the supernatural, providing a glimpse into the lives and beliefs of the common people of the past. The language is simple yet powerful, drawing the reader in with its vivid imagery and emotional depth. The collection serves as a valuable resource for those interested in traditional folk music and literature, as well as for scholars studying the cultural history of England and Scotland. Various Authors have meticulously compiled and preserved these ballads, ensuring that they continue to be appreciated and enjoyed for generations to come. Their dedication to this task reflects a deep appreciation for the cultural heritage of the British Isles and a commitment to preserving these timeless works of art. English and Scottish Ballads (Vol. 1-8) is a must-read for anyone seeking to immerse themselves in the beauty and storytelling tradition of English and Scottish folk music.

The humble ballad, defined in 1728 as "a song commonly sung up and down the streets," was widely used in elite literature in the eighteenth century and beyond. Authors ranging from John Gay to William Blake to Felicia Hemans incorporated the seemingly incongruous genre of the ballad into their work. Ballads were central to the Scottish Enlightenment's theorization of culture and nationality, to Shakespeare's canonization in the eighteenth century, and to the New Criticism's most influential work, Understanding Poetry. Just how and why did the ballad appeal to so many authors from the Restoration period to the end of the Romantic era and into the twentieth century? Exploring the widespread breach of the wall that separated "high" and "low," Steve Newman challenges our current understanding of lyric poetry. He shows how the lesser lyric of the ballad changed lyric poetry as a whole and, in so doing, helped to transform literature from polite writing in general into the body of imaginative writing that became known as the English literary canon. For Newman, the ballad's early lack of prestige actually increased its value for elite authors after 1660. Easily circulated and understood, ballads moved literature away from the exclusive domain of the courtly, while keeping it rooted in English history and culture. Indeed, elite authors felt freer to rewrite and reshape the common speech of the ballad. Newman also shows how the ballad allowed authors to access the "common" speech of the public sphere, while avoiding what they perceived as the unpalatable qualities of that same public's increasingly avaricious commercial society.