Ringing Church Bells

to ward off Thunderstorms

and other Curiosities

from the original

Notes and Queries

216 x 138mm hardback

352 pages

Over 100 black-and-white illustrations

ISBN 978-09562046-08

£12.99

How much did Byron’s brain weigh?

Why are people said to grin like Cheshire cats?

Was the Duke of Clarence really drowned in a Malmsey butt?

From its first publication in 1849 Notes and Queries quickly established itself as a unique treasure-trove of out-of-the-way information on a wide and eccentric range of subjects. This newly created collection brings together the most intriguing items from its early years, ranging from ornamental hermits to regimental goats, from mummified monks to seventeenth-century mince pies, from how to handle Ivan the Terrible to remedies for the plague. The result is a plum pudding of a book, and an ideal gift for the curious.

Reviews

‘The perfect present... Richly deserves to become the dark-horse bestseller of the Christmas season.’ (Daily Telegraph)

‘Deliciously detailed’ (The Times)

‘Beautifully produced with woodcuts, engravings, and line drawings, at a reasonable price, it richly deserves to give some of the Christmas productions from bigger publishers a run for their money.’ (Bookseller)

The Bunbury Press