Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics & Lore - Hardcover

by Katy Horan (Author), Sinéad Gleeson (Foreword by)

For centuries, murder ballads have transformed tragedy into song. In this unique, illustrated collection, Literary Witches co-creator Katy Horan unearths the true and fictional stories behind twenty traditional murder ballads, exploring the beauty and horror of the art form through stories, lyrics, and original illustrations.

Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics & Lore is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of one of folk music's most enduring traditions, spanning tales of jealousy, betrayal, and revenge as well as songs rooted in real historical events. Combining original artwork, cultural history, lyrical analysis, and deeply researched storytelling, artist and writer Katy Horan uncovers the real and imagined stories behind some of the most fascinating murder ballads ever sung, from "Delia's Gone" to "The Death of Queen Jane."

More than a music history book, Murder Ballads investigates the cultural forces that shaped the genre, including its connections to violence, gender, race, folklore, and our contemporary true-crime fascination. Along the way, readers discover how traditional songs traveled across generations, changed with the times, and became part of a larger storytelling tradition that still influences popular culture today.

• Explores twenty traditional murder ballads through history, lyrics, and storytelling
• Features original, beautifully macabre illustrations by acclaimed artist Katy Horan
• Includes recommended recordings for every featured ballad
• Perfect gift for folk music fans, history buffs, true-crime readers, and lovers of stunningly illustrated nonfiction

Enter a world of tragedy, mystery, and unforgettable storytelling, and discover why these haunting songs continue to endure.

Author Biography

Katy Horan is an illustrator and interdisciplinary artist whose work has been exhibited throughout the United States and in Canada, published in several books, and four times selected for New American Paintings. Together with the writer Taisia Kitaiskaia, she co-created Literary Witches: A Celebration of Magical Women Writers and The Literary Witches Oracle Deck. She is also the illustrator of Ask Baba Yaga: Poetic Remedies for Troubled Times. Originally from Houston, Texas, Katy now lives and works in Austin.

Sinéad Gleeson is the author of Constellations: Reflections from Life, which won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, the Dalkey Literary Award for Emerging Writer, and was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and the Michel Déon Prize. She is the editor of the award-winning anthologies The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers and The Glass Shore, as well as The Art of The Glimpse: 100 Irish Short Stories. In 2022, she co-edited This Woman's Work: Essays on Music with Kim Gordon. Sinéad also collaborates with artists and musicians on performance and sound installations. Her work has been translated into several languages and her debut novel Hagstone was published in 2024.