London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., 1897. First Edition. Green octavo with decorative gilt spine stamping; deckle edges; xii, 130 pages; 20 cm Good (+) to very good (-); boards are lightly soiled at lower edge; some rubbing to extremities; elegant ink inscription to front flyleaf from year of publication and prior owner stamp; age-toned leaves are clean and unmarked; binding tender but carefully re-glued; a handsome copy for its age. Hardcover.
"The strange and beautiful songs, of which the following are a selection, seem to me a real treasure-trove, a valuable addition to the literature of the world. They are peculiar to a certain district of Roumania, and that a district in whcih the mysterious grandeur of mountains has combined with the melancholy and subtle beauty of vast plains, in influencing people. The young poetess to whom we owe the discovery of these songs spent four years in collecting them among the peasants on her father's estates." --Introduction by Carmen Sylva. Contents: Luteplayer's Songs, Spinning Songs, Autumn - A Drama, Notes.
