This survey not only explains what people have believed and why, but when superstitions arose, which parts of the country adopted them, how they evolved and wha

Are black cats lucky or unlucky? What should you do when you hear the first cuckoo? Since when have people believed that it's unlucky to shoot an albatross? Why

"Diverting, delightful and deliciously weird enough to satisfy the most demanding appetite." — Christopher Hadley, author of The Road Folklorist Ben Gazur gui

Plants have had symbolic as well as practical meanings and uses since the beginning of human civilisation. This vivid account introduces readers to a rich varie

Rather than providing a dictionary of superstitions, of which there are already numerous excellent, exhaustive and, in many cases, academic works which list sup