From the back cover: The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes brings together over 500 well-loved and lesser-known nursery rhymes, songs, jingles and lullabies traditionally handed on to young children. Each rhyme is accompanied by fascinating and detailed notes on its history: its origins and development, literary associations, social and even political uses, variations and parallels in other languages. The result is a unique guide to our most fundamental, memorable and delightful cultural heritage. In their famous introduction, Iona and Peter Opie describe the different types of rhyme and discuss theories of origin. Complementing the rhymes are nearly 100 illustrations, including reproductions of early appearances in ballad sheets and music books, which show the development of nursery-rhyme illustrations over the last two centuries. For this second edition, the notes have been updated and extended in the light of recent scholarship from around the world, providing an unrivalled wealth of literary and bibliographic information. There is also a new essay on the singing tradition of nursery rhymes by the musicologist Cecily Raysor Hancock, making The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes an indispensible source of reference for scholars and book collectors, as well as a volume to be treasured by parents and children alike.