The "Bab" Ballads-Much Sound and Little Sense

W.S.Gilbert

Published by John Camden Hotten, 1868

About this Item

A scarce very good edition. Illustrated by WSG himself. Published 1868 though the title page says 1869. The Bab Ballads are a collection of light verse by W. S. Gilbert, illustrated with his own comic drawings. Gilbert wrote the Ballads before he became famous for his comic opera librettos with Arthur Sullivan. In writing the Bab Ballads, Gilbert developed his unique "topsy-turvy" style, where the humour was derived by setting up a ridiculous premise and working out its logical consequences, however absurd. The Ballads also reveal Gilbert's cynical and satirical approach to humour. They became famous on their own, as well as being a source for plot elements, characters and songs that Gilbert would recycle in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The Bab Ballads take their name from Gilbert's childhood nickname, and he later began to sign his illustrations "Bab". The Ballads contain both satire and nonsense, as well as a great deal of utter absurdity. They were read aloud at private dinner-parties, public banquets and even in the House of Lords. The ballads have been much published, and some have been recorded or otherwise adapted. By 1868, Gilbert's poems had won sufficient popularity to justify a collected edition. He selected forty-four of the poems (thirty-four of them illustrated) for an edition of The ¿Bab¿ Ballads ¿ Much Sound and Little Sense.

Seller Inventory # 001711

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The "Bab" Ballads-Much Sound and Little Sense
• Publisher: John Camden Hotten
• Publication Date: 1868
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket