The Bab Ballads (version 2)


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(4 stars; 4 reviews)

The Bab Ballads are a collection of light verse by W. S. Gilbert, illustrated with his own comic drawings. Gilbert wrote the Ballads before he became famous for his comic opera librettos with Arthur Sullivan. In writing the Bab Ballads, Gilbert developed his unique "topsy-turvy" style, where the humor was derived by setting up a ridiculous premise and working out its logical consequences, however absurd. The Ballads also reveal Gilbert's cynical and satirical approach to humor. They became famous on their own, as well as being a source for plot elements, characters and songs that Gilbert would recycle in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The Bab Ballads take their name from Gilbert's childhood nickname, and he later began to sign his illustrations "Bab".

Nothing else quite like the Ballads has ever been produced in the English language. They contain both satire and nonsense, as well as a great deal of utter absurdity. The Ballads were read aloud at private dinner-parties, public banquets and even in the House of Lords. Summary by Wikipedia and Phil Chenevert (2 hr 50 min)

Chapters

Captain Reece 5:02 Read by Phil Chenevert
The Rival Curates 3:35 Read by Lisa Reichert
Only A Dancing Girl 2:18 Read by Ken Masters
General John 2:26 Read by MikeStanich
To A Little Maid—By A Policeman 1:35 Read by Ken Masters
John And Freddy 2:45 Read by MikeStanich
Sir Guy The Crusader 3:49 Read by Shakira Searle
Haunted 2:37 Read by Chris Pyle
The Bishop And The `Busman 2:57 Read by MikeStanich
The Troubadour 4:34 Read by Shakira Searle
Ferdinando And Elvira; Or, The Gentle Pieman 5:53 Read by Lisa Reichert
Lorenzo De Lardy 3:47 Read by readread
Disillusioned—By An Ex-Enthusiast 3:41 Read by Shakira Searle
Babette’s Love 6:11 Read by Ezwa
To My Bride—(Whoever She May Be) 3:35 Read by Shakira Searle
The Folly Of Brown—By A General Agent 3:29 Read by Chris Pyle
Sir Macklin 2:51 Read by Chris Pyle
The Yarn Of The “Nancy Bell” 3:40 Read by Chris Pyle
The Bishop Of Rum-Ti-Foo 3:28 Read by Chris Pyle
The Precocious Baby. A Very True Tale 4:03 Read by John Kellow
To Phoebe 1:36 Read by Ken Masters
Baines Carew, Gentleman 4:36 Read by Lisa Reichert
Thomas Winterbottom Hance 4:54 Read by NoelBadrian
The Reverend Micah Sowls 3:49 Read by KDMoore
A Discontented Sugar Broker 4:16 Read by MikeStanich
The Pantomime “Super” To His Mask 2:31 Read by Ezwa
The Force Of Argument 5:00 Read by Ruth Golding
The Ghost, The Gallant, The Gael, And The Goblin 4:53 Read by Diana Schmidt
The Phantom Curate. A Fable 4:18 Read by NoelBadrian
The Sensation Captain 4:17 Read by Newgatenovelist
Tempora Mutantur 3:16 Read by Shakira Searle
At A Pantomime. By A Bilious One 4:32 Read by Shakira Searle
King Borria Bungalee Boo 4:24 Read by MikeStanich
The Periwinkle Girl 4:44 Read by Shakira Searle
Thomson Green And Harriet Hale 4:11 Read by Ezwa
Bob Polter 4:57 Read by Lisa Reichert
The Story Of Prince Agib 4:13 Read by MikeStanich
Ellen McJones Aberdeen 4:46 Read by MikeStanich
Peter The Wag 3:34 Read by MikeStanich
Ben Allah Achmet;—Or, The Fatal Tum 3:51 Read by MikeStanich
The Three Kings Of Chickeraboo 3:31 Read by MikeStanich
Joe Golightly—Or, The First Lord’s Daughter 3:56 Read by MikeStanich
To The Terrestrial Globe. By A Miserable Wretch 1:33 Read by Ken Masters
Gentle Alice Brown 6:26 Read by Shakira Searle