And everything you need to know about every carol ever written (and that is only a slight exaggeration) is to be found in The New Oxford Book of Carols published in 1992. I'm just surprised that BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs hasn't yet introduced Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott's extraordinary work of scholarly musicianship to its closing material: 'So, we'll give you the Bible, the complete works of Shakespeare, and The New Oxford Book of Carols, which other book . . . ? * Jeremy Summerly, Choir & Organ, November 13 * The major new resource this Christmas is the long-awaited paperback edition of The New Oxford Book of Carols . . . This is far more than just another carol book . . . In addition to OUP's always superb musical typography, there are comprehensive and well-researched footnotes and the extensive introduction includes a fascinating potted overview of the development of the carol genre in its social setting . . . This is not only an elegant tome but a truly indispensable resource for all who take a serious and cerebral interest in this fascinating aspect of a continually developing choral tradition. * Church of England Newspaper, 6 November 98 *
