One of the Spectator's Books of the Year 2012

'Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies

Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain

For we've received orders for to sail for old England

But we hope in a short while to see you again'

One of the great English popular art forms, the folk song can be painful, satirical, erotic, dramatic, rueful or funny. They have thrived when sung on a whim to a handful of friends in a pub; they have bewitched generations of English composers who have set them for everything from solo violin to full orchestra; they are sung in concerts, festivals, weddings, funerals and with nobody to hear but the singer.

This magical new collection brings together all the classic folk songs as well as many lesser-known discoveries, complete with music and annotations on their original sources and meaning. Published in cooperation with the English Folk Dance and Song Society, it is a worthy successor to Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L.Lloyd's original Penguin Book of English Folk Songs.

'Her keen eye did glitter like the bright stars by night

The robe she was wearing was costly and white

Her bare neck was shaded with her long raven hair

And they called her pretty Susan, the pride of Kildare'

In association with EFDSS, the English Folk Dance and Song Society