Author: D. E. TuckerPublisher:
ISBN: 9780863328404
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 167
Book Description
Author: Chris Wallis Brown
Author: J. W. RichardsonBritain by the Book
Author: Oliver TearlePublisher: John Murray
ISBN: 1473666023
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 197
Book Description
What caused Dickens to leap out of bed one night and walk 30 miles from London to Kent? How did a small town on the Welsh borders become the second-hand bookshop capital of the world? Why did a jellyfish persuade Evelyn Waugh to abandon his suicide attempt in North Wales? A multitude of curious questions are answered in Britain by the Book, a fascinating travelogue with a literary theme, taking in unusual writers' haunts and the surprising places that inspired some of our favourite fictional locations. We'll learn why Thomas Hardy was buried twice, how a librarian in Manchester invented the thesaurus as a means of coping with depression, and why Agatha Christie was investigated by MI5 during the Second World War. The map of Britain that emerges is one dotted with interesting literary stories and bookish curiosities.
Green Men & White Swans
Author: Jacqueline SimpsonPublisher: Random House
ISBN: 1407090542
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Book Description
Why do British pubs have such curious names? What tales lie behind the Moonrakers, the Hooden Horse, the Derby Tup? And why does the Green Man come in different shapes and sizes? In Green Men & White Swans, leading folklorist Jacqueline Simpson explores the fascinating stories behind pub names, uncovering the myths and legends, euphemisms and wordplays, heroes and even ghosts that have inspired pub landlords over the centuries. Spanning beloved locals from the Three Witches to the Three Nuns, from the Ashen Faggot to the Twa Corbies, this book is both an intriguing insight into the history of the British pub and a captivating journey through the country's dramatic past.
Folklore of Sussex
Author: Jacqueline SimpsonPublisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752499998
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Sussex, though near London and nowadays extensively urbanised, has a rich heritage of traditional local stories, customs and beliefs. Among many topics explored here are tales linked to landscape features and ancient churches which involve such colourful themes as lost bells, buried treasures, dragons, fairies and the devil. There are also traditions relating to ghosts, graves and gibbets and the strange powers of witches. This book, when it was first published in 1973, was the first to be entirely devoted to Sussex folklore. This new edition contains information collected over the last thirty years, updated accounts of county customs and, alongside the original line drawings, is illustrated with photographs and printed ephemera relating to Sussex lore.
Author: Raising Steam
Author: Terry PratchettPublisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0385538294
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 358
Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The international bestselling author of the hilarious Discworld series—a writer who’s been compared to Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut—introduces the first steam engine into his complex, zany fantasy world. “Everything that makes Pratchett one of the world’s most delightful writers.” —Cory Doctorow, author of Boing Boing Mister Simnel has produced a great clanging monster of a machine that harnesses the power of all the elements—earth, air, fire, and water—and it’s soon drawing astonished crowds. To the consternation of Ankh-Morpork’s formidable Patrician, Lord Vetinari, no one is in charge of this new invention. Who better to take the lead than the man he has already appointed master of the Post Office, the Mint and the Royal Bank? Moist von Lipwig is not a man who enjoys hard work—unless it is dependent on words, which are not very heavy and don’t always need greasing. He does enjoy being alive, however, which makes a new job offer from Vetinari hard to refuse. Moist will have to grapple with gallons of grease, goblins, a controller with a history of throwing employees down the stairs, and some very angry dwarfs if he’s going to stop it all from going off the rails.
The Folklore of Discworld
Author: Terry PratchettPublisher: Random House
ISBN: 1407034243
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 514
Book Description
NOW UPDATED to include material on the Discworld books up to Raising Steam. Most of us grow up having always known to touch wood or cross our fingers, and what happens when a princess kisses a frog or a boy pulls a sword from a stone, yet sadly some of these things are now beginning to be forgotten. Legends, myths, fairytales: our world is made up of the stories we told ourselves about where we came from and how we got there. It is the same on Discworld, except that beings which on Earth are creatures of the imagination - like vampires, trolls, witches and, possibly, gods - are real, alive and in some cases kicking on the Disc. In The Folklore of Discworld, Terry Pratchett teams up with leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to take an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.
Origins of English Pub Names
Author: Anthony Poulton-SmithPublisher: Andrews UK Limited
ISBN: 1911476408
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 214
Book Description
Have you ever wondered how England's pubs got their names? How did some of the more weird and wonderful ones come into being? What is the history behind such names as Blink Bonny, Bucket of Blood, Lamorna Wink and My Father's Moustache? England's pubs have always been at the heart of the community they serve and their names are instantly recognisable, even when taken out of context. Coming almost from a language of their own, these names all have an origin and a meaning, with such diverse beginnings as heraldic imagery, religion, advertising, location, wildlife, humour and persons of note. Origins of English Pub Names features some of the most obscure names, alongside one or two well-known favourites such as the Red Lion and the Dukes Head, and is a must-have for all those interested in learning a little of the history behind their local. This fascinating book will appeal to historians and etymologists everywhere and, indeed, anyone who has enjoyed a lazy afternoon in a pub and, perhaps, contemplated the origin of its name.
