∎ Read The Book of Ballads Charles Vess 9780765312150 Books

The Book of Ballads Charles Vess 9780765312150 Books

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The Book of Ballads Charles Vess 9780765312150 Books

The overall quality probably deserves 4 stars but my subjective enjoyment of this collection is 3. I mainly bought this because I like the illustrator. Secondly, I made sure it had my all time favorite ballad, Tam Lin. Although the art was weird and wonderful ,as expected, I was severely disappointed with the Tam Lin story. Not only was the storytelling some kind of choppy back and forth between modern voice and the original ballad, but the art almost seemed unrelated and given in full page pictures instead of comic book style the way the rest of the ballads were told. I had not heard of half of the ballads included and they were all dark and depressing (as most ballads are.) I wish they had thrown in a lighter one or two --- another favorite ballad of mine is the twa magicians which is both more upbeat . . . and also not included.


Tags : The Book of Ballads [Charles Vess] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div>Illustrated and presented by one of the leading artists in modern fantasy, here are the great songs and folktales of the English,Charles Vess,The Book of Ballads,Tor Books,0765312158,FICTION Fantasy General,Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology,Fantasy,Fantasy - General,FantasyGeneral,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology,Fiction-Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology,FolkloreMythology,GENERAL,General Adult,Literature: FolkloreMythology

The Book of Ballads Charles Vess 9780765312150 Books Reviews

Great art. Interesting stories...pretty good but not GREAT stories.
I finally bought this book after having wished for the hard cover book for several months. This book has a bunch of different ballads, shown in comic book version written by several well known authors. It's not as pretty as the hardcover edition, but I think it's wonderful to have a cheaper version so more people will buy it.
I think it's worth the money.
The condition of the book is like brand new. Great illustrations by Charles Vess, but not as cool as the full color illustrations in Stardust. I enjoyed reading Stardust so much. I had high hopes that other works by Charles Vess would be as enjoyable, but Book of Ballads was just not my kind of read. I didn't understand the cryptic poetry.
I guess I'm just not intellectual enough to appreciate it.
Charles Vess is an artistic genius, here, aided by other geniuses of fantasy to bring ballads and similar inspirations to comics form. His pen and ink work is masterful and the stories deep and resonant, steeped in myth and folklore. Highly recommended.
I've been a fan of Charles Vess's art since I first saw him in Sandman and Stardust, and to be honest this book was not only a delightful display of his talent but also an enjoying book of ballads and tales from yore.

Although is black and white, Charles is able to use this on his favor, from exquisite textures to intricate patterns; he surely knows how to visually please his readers. Also each story ends with the original ballad or tale it was based upon, which was a nice addition in order for the reader to get an idea from where it came from and enjoy this past tradition.

So if you are into Charle Vess (which you should be!!) and also enjoy vivid tales from ballads and fairy folk, this book is definitely worth your money and time!! So go ahead and enjoy!!
On top of accurate referencing and a comprehensive bibliography - and discography - for the dozen or so Old Ballads collected, The Book of Ballads is beautifully illustrated by the incomparable Charles Vess. Compiled by Vess and some of the most dazzling names in modern fantasy (Gaiman, Yolen, de Lint), The Book of Ballads takes classic ballads and tweaks them as only these brilliant minds can. Each ballad accompanies a prose form version, sometimes re-telling the story and others recounting it in vivid new detail; again, each story is graphic-novel style-illustrated by the King of Faerie Art, Charles Vess. A must-have for any fan of fantasy and art.
I can honestly say, when It comes to visual storytelling; I'm a snob. I've been familiar with Charles Vess's material for years now, coming by some vintage issues of his more prominent work, "Starstruck". His style, like a hypnotic spell, at times focused, gentle, beautiful; all but seemed to lack the confidence of his more, well known peers. It was only as a fan of Neil Gaiman, that I stumbled across, "Ballads", and, It was only in my genuine admiration, that I could not draw my eyes from the pages. Magic. This is Vess in true form, orchestrating some of the most engaging black/white work, since, Bernie Wrightson's, "Frankenstein". A true gem.
The overall quality probably deserves 4 stars but my subjective enjoyment of this collection is 3. I mainly bought this because I like the illustrator. Secondly, I made sure it had my all time favorite ballad, Tam Lin. Although the art was weird and wonderful ,as expected, I was severely disappointed with the Tam Lin story. Not only was the storytelling some kind of choppy back and forth between modern voice and the original ballad, but the art almost seemed unrelated and given in full page pictures instead of comic book style the way the rest of the ballads were told. I had not heard of half of the ballads included and they were all dark and depressing (as most ballads are.) I wish they had thrown in a lighter one or two --- another favorite ballad of mine is the twa magicians which is both more upbeat . . . and also not included.