This is the first edition of the Readers Union and printed in 1949. However it is clear from the "Preface to the New Edition" that the book was first published in 1933.
This book relates Starkie's travels amongst the Romanichals in Eastern Europe before WW2. There are some haunting photos to accompany the tales and myths of peoples long dead.
Starkie particularly focuses on the violin and the music and musical traditions he encounters.