Most grandchildren are presently too busy with plastic friends on iPhones to listen to or chat with grandparents. I hope that one day, one of mine will spare a little time to read Jane’s movements through thirteen schools in wartorn Scotland from 1934 to 1956. Jane was the second and accidental daughter of a Scottish Lanarkshire dairy farmer. Her father’s wealth was gained from all the living children (five, plus three who died young and one in the Great War). He left school at nine years to work at home on the twice-daily, unremitting drudgery of a nineteenth-century dairy farm. His first sighting of his baby Jane invoked the memorable words of this title with as much misbelief and disdain as only a farmer could. Well, Daddy, so far I have lived thirty-two years longer than you, without the cows and a farm, because you so prematurely left us.

The compilation of traditional folktales titled "Folk Tales Every Child Should Know" was put together by American essayist, editor, and critic Hamilton Wright Mabie. The book, which was published in 1905, is a collection of classic tales from many nations and customs around the globe. Presenting a wide range of folktales that would captivate young readers and enhance their literary and cultural education was Mabie's goal. The collection of folktales offers a rich tapestry of myths, folklore, and fables from many geographical areas. The tales have enthralled audiences for millennia because they frequently contain moral precepts, conventional wisdom, and fantastical aspects. Mabie's "Folk Tales Every Child Should Know" is a literary gold mine that teaches young readers about the diversity of folklore around the globe. In addition to being enjoyable, the stories have cultural relevance since they give readers an insight into the ideals and collective imagination of different historical communities. For people who are interested in traditional storytelling and cultural literacy, the collection is still a useful resource.

There is a time and a season to all things, and death is an inevitable part of the circle of life. Oral traditions from all over the world are full of stories giving shape to the very human wish to defy death – our own death and the deaths of others. Folk Tales of the Ever After is a collection of traditional tales from a range of cultures which is, by turns, funny, challenging and touching. From a man in Baghdad who tries to outrun Death, to Sir Lancelot's ride on the hangman's cart and an Ancient Sumerian ball game that leads to a trip to the underworld, storytellers Fiona and June invite you to share stories from their repertoire, and insights into their working practice, as a journey through the mysteries of death, dying,bereavement, loss, grief and the ever after.

In recent years an almost overwhelming number of books have appeared covering various aspects of American folk music and its history. Before 1970, most comprised collections of songs with a sprinkling of biographical information on noted performers. Over the past decade, however, scholars, journalists, and folk artists themselves have contributed biographies and autobiographies, instructional books and historical surveys, sociological studies and ethnographic analyses of this musical genre. In 100 Books Every Folk Music Fan Should Own, performer and historian Dick Weissman offers a reliable route through the growing sea of book-length studies, establishing for future scholars a foundation for their research. Beginning with early twentieth-century collections of folk songs, the author brings readers to the present by exploring modern studies of important events, critical collections of primary sources, the most significant musical instruction guides, and in-depth portraits of traditional and contemporary American folk musicians. For each title selected, Weissman provides his own brief summary of its contents and assessment of its significance for the reader—whether fan or scholar. Folk music fans, scholars, and students of the American folk music tradition—indeed, any reader seeking guidance on the best books in the field—will want a copy of this vital work.

The 48 Folk-Tales in this book hail from the South East Asian land-locked country of Laos. Herein are stories like The Enchanted Mountain, The Spirit-Guarded Cave, The Monkeys and the Crabs, The Origin of Lightning (a tale which seems to be endemic amongst all the world’s cultures,) The Faithful Husband, The Cheating Priest and many more children’s stories which cover Romance and Tragedy, Temples and Priests, Moderation and Greed, Parables and Proverbs and The Wonders of Wisdom. There is also a small collection of Stories which went Astray. When these were first gathered by Katherine Neville Fleeson, the country was a part of the kingdom of Siam, and are uniquely South East Asian in their charm and complete novelty. Until the translator of this volume collected these stories, they were even unwritten, with a single exception which was found in an ancient Laos manuscript. They are, and have been, orally preserved in the provinces which constitute the Laos country, just as they have been handed down from generation to generation, with slight variations in words or incidents. In older times, village elders would tell the stories at their merrymakings around the camp-fires and within their primitive houses, to amuse and instruct the youth and children. However, with the advent of the electronic age, this tradition is being lost, and the more the pity for it. To the Scholar, who is a student of the world's Folk-Lore, you may be assured that you have here a small window in history with the tales of Laos, unobscured, just as they were told when this volume was published in 1899.

Reproduction of the original.