This anthology is designed to be used either independently or in conjunction with its parent volume, The New Oxford Book of Carols , from which it is drawn. All the most widely-known carols are included, together with some of the less familiar repertory. The contents have been chosen to include items of the broadest possible appeal, with a strong bias towards choral settings. There has been an attempt to include a representative sample of pieces from every historical period. The historical notes on individual carols have been reduced to their essentials, and the present introduction includes resumes of three of the parent text’s appendices.