The Shanty Bible
Stan Hugill's book is outstanding. He not only brings in Shantys from all over the world, he relates them to the type of labor they were accompanying. His commentary cleared up a number of mystifying terms sung in these songs.
My only criticism is the size of the pages, and consequently the print. The melody and first verse for most songs is presented, but the font of the first verse is sometimes difficult to read due to size. Subsequent verses are printed in the same font as the rest of the book, thus are not a problem. If I take enough time, I can decipher the verses. It might be time for a new glasses prescription for me.
The author apparently "disguised" verses he felt inappropriate for a general audience, but this doesn't harm the overall flow of the songs. I wold like to know what the original verses were, but that's just me.
To conclude, this book is exhaustive without being tiring, and scholarly without being dry. It is totally informative, and quite interesting, as well. I you wish to learn about shanties, start here.
