This is a very worthwhile volume. Like any such compilation, the contributions are variable in quality but none are without interest and some are very good indeed. Strong foundations have been laid for English morris dance history, for example, in the writings of Roy Judge, Keith Chandler and two of the writers represented here, John Forrest and the editor Michael Heaney. The book is organized thematically and roughly chronologically into seven sections varying from one to four chapters. It is extremely well presented and edited. After a brief but to-the-point introduction by Heaney, which addresses the plural ‘histories’ of the title, John Forrest contributes a lively and informative first essay, ‘How to Read The History of Morris Dancing’. This essay helps us to think about the important issues pertinent to the whole book. Forrest gives some fascinating background on the way that he, Chandler and Heaney carved up the field of morris dance history, researching different but complementary aspects. Forrest’s essay is peppered with pithy and pointed statements. Writing about the widespread belief that morris was the survival of an ancient fertility ritual (for which there is no historical evidence) he states:

中文翻译：

---

英国莫里斯的历史

这是非常值得的一本书。像任何这样的汇编一样，贡献的质量是可变的，但是没有一个是没有兴趣的，而且确实是非常好的。例如，罗伊·贾奇（Roy Judge），基思·钱德勒（Keith Chandler）以及在此代表的两位作家约翰·福雷斯特（John Forrest）和编辑迈克尔·海尼（Michael Heaney）的著作为英国莫里斯舞蹈史奠定了坚实的基础。这本书按主题和时间顺序大致分为七个部分，从一章到四章不等。它的呈现和编辑都非常出色。在Heaney对标题的复数“历史”进行简短但切合实际的介绍之后，John Forrest撰写了一篇生动而翔实的第一篇文章，“ How to Read the History of Morris Dancing”。本文有助于我们思考与整本书有关的重要问题。福雷斯特（Forrest）通过他，钱德勒（Chandler）和海尼（Heaney）的莫里斯舞蹈历史领域，研究了不同但互补的方面，提供了一些有趣的背景。福雷斯特的论文内容丰富而尖刻。他写道，人们普遍认为莫里斯是一种古老的生育仪式的生存（没有历史证据），他指出：