The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
THE BAB BALLADS
The Bab Ballads
WITH WHICH ARE INCLUDED
SONGS OF A SAVOYARD
BY
W. S. GILBERT
WITH 350 ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR
LONDON
MACMILLAN & CO LTD
NEW YORK. ST MARTIN'S PRESS
This book is copyright in all countries which
are signatories to the Berne Convention
Transferred to Macmillan and Co. Ltd., 1904
Sixth Edition 1904
Reprinted 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1917, 1919
1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1932, 1953, 1960
MACMILLAN AND COMPANY LIMITED
London Bombay Calcutta Madras Melbourne
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA LIMITED
Toronto
ST MARTIN'S PRESS INC
New York
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
AUTHOR'S NOTE
About thirty years since, several of "The Bab Ballads"(most of which had appeared, from time to time, in thepages of Fun) were collected by me, and published byMessrs. George Routledge and Sons. This volume passedthrough several editions, and, in due course, was followedby a second series under the title of "More Bab Ballads,"which achieved a popularity equal to that of its predecessor.Subsequently, excerpts were made from thesetwo volumes, and, under the title of "Fifty Bab Ballads,"had a very considerable sale; but I soon discovered thatin making the selection for this volume I had discardedcertain Ballads that were greater favourites with myreaders than with me. Nevertheless this issue wasfollowed by many editions, English and American, of"Bab Ballads," "More Bab Ballads," and "Fifty BabBallads," to the no little bewilderment of such of thepublic as had been good enough to concern themselveswith my verses. So it became desirable (for our ownprivate ends) that this confusion should be definitelycleared up; and thus it came to pass that a reissue of thetwo earlier collections, in one volume, was decided upon.
Some seven years since, I collected the most popularof the songs and ballads which I had written for theseries of light operas with which my name is associated, andpublished them under the title of "Songs of a Savoyard."It recently occurred to me that these songs had so muchin common with "The Bab Ballads" that it might beadvisable to weld the two books into one. This is, briefly,the history of the present volume.
I have always felt that many of the original illustrationsto "The Bab Ballads" erred gravely in the direction ofunnecessary extravagance. This defect I have endeavouredto correct through the medium of the two hundred newdrawings which I have designed for this volume. I amafraid I cannot claim for them any other recommendation,