Steve Roud facts for kids
Steve Roud (born 1949) is a famous expert on folklore and superstition. He created the amazing Roud Folk Song Index. This is a huge collection of traditional songs.
He used to be a librarian in London. He also worked as a special librarian for the Folklore Society.
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About Steve Roud
The Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a massive online list of traditional songs. It has over 240,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs. These songs were collected from people singing them all over the world.
Steve Roud started this project around 1970. He first used small filing cards in shoeboxes! He wrote down who sang the song, where they lived, and when it was noted. He also added where the song was published.
Most importantly, he gave each song a special 'Roud number'. This number helps to group all the different versions of the same song together. In 1993, he put all his notes into a computer database. He still adds to it today. You can find this database on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website.
This numbering system is now used by many experts who study folk songs.
Steve Roud's Books
Since 2000, Steve Roud has written many books. These books are about folklore, old traditions, and folk music. Many of his books have won awards and received great reviews.
His 2003 book, The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland, won a special award. It was given the Katharine Briggs Award for the best folklore book of the year.
In 2006, he wrote The English Year. This book explains all the old customs and traditions throughout the year in Britain. People said it was a "rich and wonderful" book.
Steve Roud also explored how children's games change over time. His 2010 book, The Lore of the Playground, looked at how these games are passed down. It was called a "delightful" book by The Sunday Times.
He has also written important books about folk music. In 2012, he co-edited The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. This book was called "impressive" and "nourishing" by The Daily Telegraph. His 2017 book, Folksong in England, was described as a "monumental history" of English folk songs.
Awards and Recognition
Steve Roud has received several important awards for his work.
- In 2004, he won the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award. This was for his book about superstitions.
- In 2009, he received the Gold Badge from the English Folk Dance and Song Society. This award honors people who have made amazing contributions to folk dance, music, or song.
- In 2014, he was given the Walford Award. This award is from a group of library and information experts. His 2012 book, The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs, had won another award the year before.
Personal Life
Steve Roud lives with his wife in Somersham, England.
