Description
Book SynopsisRather than providing a dictionary of superstitions, of which there are already numerous excellent, exhaustive and, in many cases, academic works which list superstitions from A to Z, Bainton gives us an entertaining flight over the terrain, landing from time to time in more thought-provoking areas. He offers an overview of humanity''s often illogical and irrational persistence in seeking good luck and avoiding misfortune.
While Steve Roud''s two excellent books - The Penguin Dictionary of Superstitions and his Pocket Guide - and Philippa Waring''s 1970 Dictionary concentrate on the British Isles, Bainton casts his net much wider. There are many origins which warrant the full back story, such as Friday the thirteenth and the Knights Templar, or the demonisation of the domestic cat resulting in ''cat holocausts'' throughout Europe led by the Popes and the Inquisition.
The whole is presented as a comprehensive, entertaining narrative flow, though
Trade Review
Praise for The Mammoth Book of Unexplained Phenomena:
Bainton is a very good writer . . . excellent and witty . . . confident and clear . . .Hooray for Roy Bainton! - Fortean Times
