Britain by the Book

Britain by the Book

Author: Oliver Tearle

Publisher: John Murray

Published: 2017-11-02

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 1473666023

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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.


In the Treacle Mine

In the Treacle Mine

Author: J. W. Richardson

Publisher: Whittles

Published: 2021-07-30

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9781849954884

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Describes the life of a Marine Engineer in the Merchant Navy during the final years of steam propulsion and the transition to diesel power.


Hampshire and Isle of Wight Folk Tales

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Folk Tales

Author: Michael O'Leary

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2011-11-30

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 0752477544

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These beautifully told folk tales, brought vividly to life by Marcel O'Leary's graphic illustrations, have been collected by the author over his years of working as a greenkeeper, gardener, teacher and storyteller in Hampshire. Many are published here for the first time, and others have evolved through countless retellings in Hampshire schools, festivals, fêtes and events. Featuring dark tales of murderous kings and commoners, wild women, screaming skulls, galloping plague coaches, dragons dancing themselves to death, giants, and wandering corpses, combined with humorous stories and evocative tales of love, lust and passion, this book takes the reader beyond the written page and reveals the wonders that lie within the Hampshire landscape.


Folklore of Sussex

Folklore of Sussex

Author: Jacqueline Simpson

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2009-06-15

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0752499998

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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.


Green Men & White Swans

Green Men & White Swans

Author: Jacqueline Simpson

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2010-07-31

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 1407090542

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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.


The Conisbrough Chronicles

The Conisbrough Chronicles

Author: McMullen Country

Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd

Published: 2016-11-22

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1785899546

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Seen through the eyes of narrators, this parody chronicles and explores the fascinating, eccentric and totally fabricated Conisbrough family dynasty as it progresses over the last thousand years. While the Conisbrough family remain centre stage in this amusing, concocted stroll through our history, other characters and families inevitably interact with the Conisbroughs, often with disastrous consequences. The nearest neighbours of the Conisbrough family are the grotesque Sprot tribe across the river. How will they develop alongside the Conisbrough success story? And mystical elements present themselves in such places as the Isle of Wight, Northern Germany and the then badlands of North Yorkshire. Written in three parts, the story tells you things you never knew about life in the Middle Ages; the court of Elizabeth I; the English Civil War; and the Industrial Revolution, for example– periods populated with often disgusting, greedy, self-serving and unsavoury characters – some of whom you will recognise. The role of women in business and in partnership with their husbands is a source of some interesting lessons for us all when set against society's conventions and restrictions in the past. The final part brings us up to the present day with a reflection not only on the family’s achievements but how they did things while retaining a certain moral fibre. But lawyers, civil servants, accountants, bankers and the greed and lack of integrity in society get vicious tongue-in-cheek treatment. There are no happy endings, but just a glimmer of hope...


The Folklore of Discworld

The Folklore of Discworld

Author: Terry Pratchett

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2010-07-06

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13: 1407034243

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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.