DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Bar-Room Ballads" by Robert William Service. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.
This book showcases the remarkable talent of Robert William Service, the renowned British-Canadian poet, and writer known as "the Bard of the Yukon." It offers a delightful blend of poems capturing the essence of the Yukon gold rush and exploring the trials and tribulations of ordinary existence. Immerse yourself in Service's lyrical verses and discover the beauty of his storytelling.
The collection is split into two halves. "Departmental Ditties," the first section, is made up of satirical poems that parody the administrative and bureaucratic features of British colonial life in India, the country where Kipling spent a large portion of his formative years. This section's poetry frequently offers amusing perspectives into the daily life of colonial establishment figures such as soldiers and government officials. The narrative and lyrical poetry in the collection's second section, "Ballads and Barrack Room Ballads," depict the experiences of British army soldiers. These poems explore the friendships, struggles, and distinctive features of military life while combining pathos, humour, and astute observations of human nature. All things considered, Kipling's "Departmental Ditties and Ballads and Barrack Room Ballads" exhibits his wit, astute social commentary, and masterful ability to capture the myriad personalities and settings of late 19th-century British colonial and military life.
In 1907, a shy bank clerk sent a collection of his poems south from the Yukon to be privately published and shared with a small group of friends. Fate intervened, however, and Robert Service became a household name across North America and throughout the British Commonwealth. Words were Service's lifelong passion, and he set them on many stages. But it was his Dan McGrew, Sam McGee and other players of the Great White North who glittered with a golden glow and forever made him the "Bard of the Yukon" and the de facto Poet Laureate of Alaska. Enid Mallory's Robert Service: Under the Spell of the Yukon sheds new light on the life and career of this intriguing and intensely private man, and celebrates the poet's verse. This edition includes a selection of some of the most loved Service poems, including "The Cremation of Sam McGee," "The Shooting of Dan McGrew," "The Call of the Wild," "The Spell of the Yukon" and "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill."
An original history of music in the lives of American soldiers. Since the Civil War, music has coursed through the United States military. Soldiers have sung while marching, listened to phonographs and armed forces radio, and packed the seats at large-scale USO shows. “Reveille” has roused soldiers in the morning and “Taps” has marked the end of a long day. Whether the sounds came from brass instruments, weary and homesick singers, or a pair of heavily used earbuds, where there was war, there was music, too. Instrument of War is a first-of-its-kind study of music in the lives of American soldiers. Although musical activity has been part of war since time immemorial, the significance of the US military as a musical institution has generally gone unnoticed. Historian David Suisman traces how the US military used—and continues to use—music to train soldiers and regulate military life, and how soldiers themselves have turned to music to cope with war’s emotional and psychological realities. Opening our ears to these practices, Suisman reveals how music has enabled more than a century and a half of American war-making. Instrument of War unsettles assumptions about music as a force of uplift and beauty, demonstrating how it has also been entangled in large-scale state violence. Whether it involves chanting “Sound off!” in basic training, switching on a phonograph or radio, or cueing up an iPod playlist while out on patrol, the sound of music has long resonated in soldiers’ wartime experiences. Now we all can finally hear it.
