Last weekend I took a trip down to the Big Smoke (Brisbane) to attend the Lifeline (one of our big charities) Bookfest. One of my favourite tables (besides politics, Horticulture, bio's and music) is the Rare and Old books table. Lots of old books with battered covers etc. I was going through them when I was drawn to a big thick book with a battered dark blue cover. The gold embossed title was partialy worn off but my eye was caught by a silver embossed line drawing, underneath the title, of a banjo, a fiddle and bow, and a jews harp, all above which were a pair of hands clapping.

Well I quickly flipped to the main title page to see The Folk Songs of North America and underneath, In The English Language by Alan Lomax.
Melodies and guitar chords transcribed by Peggy Seeger. With one hundred piano arrangements by Matyas Seiber and Don Banks. Published by Doubleday, 1960.

Boy I felt like I was holding an important part of history right there in my hands. The main Titles are The North,The Southern Mountains and Backwoods, The West and The Negro South.

'Course being a born and partly raised Oregonian my first stop was The West and sub title The Last West. Of course I knew Woody would be there 'cos I remember hearing his Columbia River songs as a kid.

As well as Talking Columbia and Roll on Columbia there are Hard Travellin', Pretty Boy Floyd, Hard Times, Hard ain't it Hard, Talkin' Dustbowl Blues, and others from that region like The Kickin' Mule and Fiddle-I-Fee.

Mr. Lomax has included quotes from recordings of Woody's stories and general stories about the songs ....great reading!


A lot of you have probably seen this book or even own it but it was a thrill for me to find it in a huge Convention Hall full of THOUSANDS of books way down here in the land of OZ!! It will take pride of place in the North American Music History section of my Library.

What a blunderful, wonderful find!!! Enjoy it!!!