The Bab Ballads

by W. S.

Of all the ships upon the blue No ship contained a better crew Than that of worthy Captain Reece, Commanding of The Mantelpiece. He was adored by all his men, For worthy Captain Reece, R.N., Did all that lay within him to Promote the comfort of his crew. If ever they were dull or sad, Their captain danced to them like mad, Or told, to make the time pass by. Droll legends of his infancy.

Genres: Poetry, Humor, Classics

760 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1884

Reviews

[Curmudgeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very variable in quality--the best of the "ballads" are very funny, while the worst are unbearably tedious or predictable. A couple might be viewed as racist in the current era, but they are generally more absurdist than anything else (e.g. the poem that involves a Jewish man's nose falling off and being replaced by a proper Christian one upon his religious conversion). Anyone familiar with W.S. Gilbert's fondness for topsy-turveydom (or indeed, anyone who has seen Mike Leigh's film about the making of The Mikado) can appreciate the bizarre stories collected in the book, which are graced by Gilbert's charmingly amateurish illustrations. A number of stories, plot points, or character names from the "Bab" Ballads did later make their way into various Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, so it is a must-read for fans curious about the development of the author's more famous works.

NB: "A Discontented Sugar Broker" has my vote for most amusing "ballad".

[Gospodyina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads says there are 25 editions, but I only have 5! To the bookstore!

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Research, for a person with wildly erratic OCD detective skills, leads interesting places. Not useful places, but entertaining places. Tracking down sheet music for a book project, I searched for difficult flute passages. Pineapple Poll by W. S. Gilbert was a piece that made me sweat. It's memorable because three keys actually fell off my flute in rehearsal. On the hunt for the music, I discovered Pineapple Poll is a character from a comic ballet written by Gilbert, about the crew of the Hot Cross Bun and its dashing Lieutenant Belaye. And the ballet was based on a poem written and illustrated by Gilbert titled "The Bumboat Woman's Story." The piece also contributed to H. M. S. Pinafore. This particular book from the Hamtramck library has 215 original illustrations created from 1866 to 1869 for Fun magazine. In the preface, Gilbert himself wrote he took out those that appeared to have been created hastily to meet a deadline. Subsequent editions have softened the edge of Gilbert's sardonic cartoons. I like the original comic grotesqueries.

[James Violand · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very uneven work. Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan) had a talent for rhyming. Not all rhymes are worthwhile. Most within this book are strange tales that leave one unfulfilled, having started with such promise. There are a few that are bear re-reading, but for the most part, seem nonsensical and of poor entertainment value. A main problem is the pervasive meter that haunts you, effecting nearly every thought in a similar strain until something mundane erases it and you find peace.

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gilbert was the master of rhythm and excruciating rhyme, but without the context of the Savoy Opera plots and without the sublime music of Sir Arthur Sullivan, these verses are dated and somewhat pointless.

[Adam Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's lightweight and silly but it's good to speak nonsense in season.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hillarious. It helps if you are familiar with older humor and Victorian British attitudes.

Until after I read it, I did not realize this was written by the Gilbert who was half the duo of Gilbert and Sullivan. G&S wrote the brilliant musicals The Mikado and Pirates of Penzance and many others.

WARNING: In the last poem, Gilbert uses the n-word two times. That word is disgusting. Reading the poem and knowing it was written over 150 years ago by someone from England, I believe Gilbert was using the word to mean "men who live on islands far away." I think the "live on islands far away" was obvious from the context. I blacked out both instances of the offensive and demeaning word and wrote "men" instead. There was also one use of the word "darkie" which I similarly fixed.

[Ella Tilbrook]

an interesting bit of g&s lore (sadly missing the s) but definitely not intended to be read all in one go, and it feels like it shouldn't have a star rating as a result. they range from amusing to extremely dated and offensive which is a big shame- the show with the fairies invading the house of lords honestly is more sensible than some of these