THE HISTORY
OF MORRIS DANCING
1458-1750
James Clarke & Co Ltd are pleased
to announce the publication of John Forrests new
history of morris dancing. Built on the Annals of
Early Morris, Forrests previous work with
Michael Heaney of the Bodleian Library, The History of
Morris Dancing 1458-1750 is a comprehensive analysis
of early morris that uses the Forrest and Heaney database
(almost 800 references from Alice Wetenhales 1458
will onwards) to show the continual evolution of the
dance in the many contexts in which it was performed and
enjoyed. The book is well illustrated with maps and drawings, and the methodology of the early morris database is summarised in one of the four appendixes. The History of Morris Dancing 1458-1750 is available now from the Shave The Donkey shop, price £17.50 paperback, £45 hardcover. |
"The research is
phenomenally thorough and comprehensive, the result of
decades of dedication. Copious quotation from, and
reprinting of, original documents not only provides a
treasury of source materials for the scholar, but a feast
of entertaining illustrative material for the laity. It
is a remarkably well-finished book by somebody who is
clearly the master of the subject." Ronald Hutton, professor of history at Bristol University and author of THE STATIONS OF THE SUN. |
11 chapters:
Theories of Origin, The Contexts, Earliest References,
Royal Court, Urban Streets, Church Property, Church
Proscription and Prosecution, The Public Stage, Rural
Locations, Assemblies and the Country Dance Hall, Private
Premises, Endings. Four appendixes: Methodological Issues: the Early Morris Database and Archive; Visitation Articles Banning Morris; Mr Isaacs Morris 1716; Extant Churchwardens Accounts. 51 maps, line drawings, and reproductions showing distributions of morris events, choreographies, and contemporary illustrations.12 tables Hardcover ISBN 0
2276 7943 1 £45.00 JOHN FORREST is Professor of Anthropology, State University of New York at Purchase. He is the co-author of Annals of Early Morris with Michael Heaney and the author of Morris And Matachin: A Study In Comparative Choreography. |