Edward D. Ives provides a fascinating study of a ballad. He first gives us a history of the Bonny Earl of Murray and then explains the political tensions that lead to his slaying by the Earl of Huntly. He makes excellent use of a variety of sources to place this history within the socio-political context of Renaissance life. This history is exceptional because there simply isn't that much good information about the Bonny Earl. The story is also fascinating. It involves political rivalry, complicity, if not conspiracy, by a king, and rumors of illicit affairs. In sum, it contains all of the elements of a ballad, including the sordid details of gothic romance. Following this historical background, Ives writes an thorough history of the ballad. He carefully demonstrates how the tune came from different sources, and he shows how it became part of F. J. Child's canon of 305 English and Scottish ballads. The analysis is an interesting look at the aesthetics of ballad composition, and Ives provides some intriguing insights into this ballad's history. He shows, for example, that it apparently wasn't commonly performed within the Scottish and English oral tradition yet it was occasionaly documented in the USA by folksong scholars working in the field. Ives moves out a limb, by his own admission, and even suggests how the original composer of the ballad may have come from a particular social background. One intriguing tidbit to this book is his discussion of "Mondegreens," or what is sometimes referred to as "Lyrics Misheard." This ballad is the source of the term, and Ives' witty writing includes some good ones that he has collected from students.