The Book of Old English Ballads Author:George Wharton Edwards George Wharton Edwards (1859ù1950) was an American impressionist painter and illustrator and author of several books of travel and historical subjects. His books often included his own illustrations. Ballads deal with historical events or incidents, with local traditions, with personal adventure or achievement. They are objective unlike poetry o... more »f the period. Ballads are often found in the remote villages where they are sung and passed down through the generations. Ballads in this collection include Chevy Chace, King Cophetua and the Beggar-Maid, King Leir and his Three Daughters, Fair Rosamond, Phillida and Corydon, Fair Margaret and Sweet William, Annan Water, The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington, Barbara Allen's Cruelty, The Douglas Tragedy, Young Waters, Flodden Field, Helen of Kirkconnell, Robin Hood and Allen-a-Dale, Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, Robin Hood's Death and Burial, The Twa Corbies, Waly, Waly, Love be Bonny, The Nut-brown Maid, The Fause Lover, The Mermaid, The Battle of Otterburn, The Lament of the Border Widow, The Banks o' Yarrow, Hugh of Lincoln, and Sir Patrick Spens.« less