The Silver Dagger: American Murder Ballads

by Joshua Hampton

Includes a plot summary, brief history, and list of selected recordings for each ballad! Presented here are thirty of the most popular stateside ballads of murder by pistol, axe, penknife and poison. Whether based on true crimes or traditional tales from the Old World, these tragic stories are American as apple pie, albeit one seasoned with a generous pinch of arsenic.

159 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2020

About the author

Joshua Hampton is a writer who finds his muse in everything from Anglo-Saxon epic poetry to French New Wave cinema. His fantasy work has been featured in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Mirror Dance and Aphelion, among others. He is also writer and editor for the English football club Chelsea FC's stateside newsletter. Joshua lives with his wife, children, two dogs, and the occasional fish near Louisville, Kentucky. For more about his work, visit www.JoshuaHampton.com.

Reviews

[Michael Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book after looking for another book of the same theme, 'Murder Ballads.' The Silver Dagger: American Murder Ballads is a quick read. If you are looking for a deep dive into the origins of these songs, you might be disappointed. I appreciate the list of artists who have released or performed versions of these songs.

[Micah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joshua Hampton has done something interesting here. Not only has he assembled a decent collection of murder ballads, but he has also created a paratextual framework that includes historical background and a Spotify playlist for each song. Many of the ballads collected in The Silver Dagger originated in United Kingdom or Ireland, but all of the versions collected here either traveled to the new world or were originally developed in the United States, so they constitute a nice slice of Americana. The historical context that Hampton provides helps bring the lyrics to life, and his Spotify playlists feature a variety of performances, from early recordings to contemporary renditions. All of this is great. My only criticism is that the ballads tend to be a little repetitious. How many different versions of the "jealous lover kills his soon-to-be-bride" ballad can there be? Nonetheless, this is a fun read that offers a nice introduction to an important sub-genre of western folk music. I look forward to reading the other collections he has put together.

[Eve Markley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of stories about murder ballads, a truly fascinating form of folklore. A lot of these murder ballads are very old and most seem to have been based on a true incident.
This book does not cover the stories of the songs in depth. Rather, for each song, we get the basic story, the lyrics, the origins of the song, and a list of recordings of the song. These lists are not necessarily exhaustive.
The book is a quick read and very interesting. A good book to use as a quick reference for the times you hear one of those songs and wonder about the story behind it.

[tai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so fun! It was an experience- I totally enjoyed listening to each song as I was reading about it. I learned some stuff and some things, and I walked away with… (ahem) a killer playlist. 😍