The Lost Folk: From the Forgotten Past to the Emerging Future of Folk

A treasure trove of both British folk memory and new and emerging forms.

A manifesto for British folk culture . . . In her infectious enthusiasm, proper joy can be found.

[A] sumptuous revisionist history of British folk in all its forms is a delight from start to finish, casting new light on the customs, writing, art and songs that have told the story of these isles for centuries . . . [MacBeth] creates a multicoloured and multicultural tapestry of the art that made us what we are today.

MacBeth’s attentive eye asks us to lean in, look closer, and appreciate . . . The Lost Folk is personal. MacBeth’s charity shop finds often start or augment the search. Detail is supplied by her correspondence with the relatives of collectors, or photographs supplied by friends. Newspapers are scoured; old books consulted . . . This personal approach, and this encouragement to participate, makes for engaging reading and a useful way into this vast, appealing subject.

A charming and compelling history of folk in its many forms . . . What MacBeth does more than simply index is inspire – to take a look at the everyday events all around and acknowledge that, one day, this will all be history; and that maybe we should do a little something to hold on to it before it becomes more lost folk.

Our scattered, rootless, digital infused society needs some sort of force to draw us together . . . Macbeth writes passionately about folk culture's potential to do this.