The Singer of Tales

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Good+ with no dust jacket. 1960. First Ed thus, but later 1st Edition; Second Printing. Hardcover. Good+: shows dampstaining to the lower rear panel; faint overall soiling to the grey-toned cloth over boards; two pages were not cut correctly by the publisher and a former owner has attempted to correct the sections of the pages to align with the rest of the text block, but none too expertly - the discrepency is apparent but not overly so; a small coffee stain to the front interior gutter; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of any creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A flawed copy, but one which is structurally sound and tightly bound, showing little wear and minor, unobtrusive imperfections except for the dampstaining. Corners sharp. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (9.5 x 6.35 x 1.15 inches) . Extensive Notes. Index. Language: English. Weight: 24.6 ounces. Hardcover: Lacks DJ. Albert Bates Lord (15 September 1912 – 29 July 1991) was a professor of Slavic and comparative literature at Harvard University who carried on Milman Parry's research on epic poetry after Parry's death. Lord authored 'The Singer of Tales', first published in 1960. In it, Lord demonstrates the ways in which various great ancient epics from Europe and Asia were heirs to a tradition not only of oral performance, but of oral composition. He argued strongly for a complete divide between the non-literate authors of the Homeric epics and the scribes who later wrote them down. Lord studied Serbian heroic epics sung to the gusle, a bowed single-stringed musical instrument (and musical style) traditionally used in the Dinarides region of Southeastern Europe. The instrument is always accompanied by singing; musical folklore, specifically epic poetry. The gusle player holds the instrument vertically between his knees, with the left hand fingers on the strings. The strings are never pressed to the neck, giving a harmonic and unique sound. Most notable of poets he worked with was Avdo Mededovic. He studied not only Homeric epics, but also Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and others. Across these many story traditions he found strong commonalities concerning the oral composition of traditional storytelling. 'The Singer of Tales' was to transform modern understanding of the nature and composition, not only of the Homeric Epics but of many other forms of epic literature. Truly, a seminal text. ; Harvard Studies in Comparative Literature; Vol. 24; Large 8vo 9" - 10" tall; xv, 309 pages; Not Inscribed or Signed by Author. .