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Gypsy folk-tales
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About this book
Francis Hindes Groome’s Gypsy folk‑tales is a scholarly compilation that gathers the oral narratives of the Romani people, framed by an extensive introductory essay. The book opens with Groome’s modest confession of his limited training in folklore, followed by a litany of thanks to a long list of deceased scholars and contemporary collaborators whose collections and expertise have made the volume possible. From there he launches into a sweeping “Distribution of Gypsies” survey, mapping the presence of Romani groups from Europe to Asia, Africa and the Americas, and recounting early fifteenth‑century migrations documented in chronicles and the work of M. Paul Bataillard. The opening pages therefore combine a personal preface, a dedication to fellow folklorists, and a detailed historical overview that sets the stage for the tales themselves.
The prose reflects the late‑Victorian academic tone of a gentleman scholar, dense with citations, footnotes and a penchant for exhaustive detail. Its voice is earnest, occasionally flamboyant, and steeped in the period’s fascination with ethnology and philology. Readers who enjoy meticulous cultural histories, the Victorian habit of cataloguing exotic peoples, or anyone interested in the intersection of folklore and early modern travel narratives will find Groome’s work rewarding. It appeals especially to scholars of folklore, historians of migration, and admirers of richly documented nineteenth‑century scholarship.
Characters in Gypsy folk-tales
- Francis Hindes GroomeVictorian gentleman scholar, middle‑aged, dark hair, trimmed beard, round spectacles, frock coat, pocket watch
- John SampsonLate‑Victorian academic, neat sideburns, spectacles, waistcoat, ink‑stained fingers, thoughtful expression
- John RobertsWelsh‑Gypsy harper, wiry build, dark curls, leather vest, Celtic harp, rustic boots
The opening · free to read
‘PAZORRHUS’
I am no folklorist; I have merely dabbled in folklore as a branch of the great Egyptian Question, which includes also intricate problems of philology, ethnology, craniology, archæology, history, music, and what not besides. But for twenty years I have been trying to interest folklorists in Gypsy folk-tales. Vainly so far; and during those twenty years there have died Dr. Paspati, Dr. Barbu Constantinescu, Dr. Franz von Miklosich, Dr. Isidore Kopernicki, M. Paul Bataillard, and John Roberts, the Welsh-Gypsy harper: with them much has perished that folklorists should not have willingly let go. Meanwhile, however, a Rómani Grimm has arisen in Mr. John Sampson, the librarian of University College, Liverpool. With unparalleled generosity he has placed his collections at my free disposal—I trust I have not made too lavish use of them,—and has read, moreover, every page of the proofs of this volume, enriching it from the depths of his knowledge of ‘matters of Egypt.’ Another, a very old friend, to whom my debt is great, is the Rev. Thomas Davidson, author of the admirable folklore articles in Chamber’s Encyclopædia; he has lent me scores of scarce works from his unrivalled folklore library. Others to whom I owe acknowledgments are: Mr. Tom Taylor, Mr. W. R. S. Ralston, Mr. W. A. Clouston, Dr. Hyde Clarke, Professor Bensly (all five also dead), Mrs. Gomme, Mr. H. Browne of Bucharest, Mr. Robert Burns, Lord Archibald Campbell, Mr. Archibald Constable, Mr. H. T. Crofton, Professor Dobschütz of Jena, Mr. Fitzedward Hall, Dean Kitchin, Mr. William Larminie, Mr. David MacRitchie, M. Omont of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Dr. David Patrick, Dr. Fearon Ranking, Mr. Rufus B. Richardson of Athens, Professor Sayce, and Dr. Rudolf von Sowa of Brünn. And, finally, I would thank in advance whoever may send me corrections, additions, or suggestions on the subject of Gypsy folk-tales.
FRANCIS HINDES GROOME.
137 Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh.
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