The Notes and Queries Folklore Column, 1849-1947

Book excerpt: A major source for England’s folklore heritage and vernacular culture is found in the Folklore Column in the periodical Notes and Queries which ran from 1849 to 1947. Previously, to locate material meant using each of the 15 General Indexes in turn. Instead, this book presents, for the first time, a consolidated index to the contents not only of the Folklore Column, but to other material of interest. Besides the index to Folklore entries itself with some 5,450 references alone, presented here are indexes to Nursery Rhymes, Phrases, Proverbs, Rhymes, Riddles, Songs and Ballads (1,722 titles are mentioned), Provincialisms, and Dialects. Overall, the Subject Indexes here contain in total 12,168 references. As such, this book presents the reader with ready access to a neglected corpus of material.