A Dictionary of Superstitions - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0192115979 ISBN 13: 9780192115973

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1989

Synopsis

Is it good or bad luck to mention a pig to a fisherman? What does it portend when you break a double-yolked egg? How many frogs do you need to cure whooping cough?
Ranging from the familiar to the bizarre, and including everything from spells and omens to rituals and taboos, this delightfully informative dictionary covers a wide array of popular superstitions, touching on virtually every aspect of human culture. They embrace family life and the lore of farmers, sailors, miners, and actors; offer advice on the signs to observe when contemplating a journey or a marriage; reveal the significance of animals, plants, stones, colors, food and drink, the elements, and heavenly bodies; and outline the precautions to be taken after a death in the house or during a thunderstorm. Each entry is arranged alphabetically according to its central idea or object, and illustrated with a selection of chronologically ordered quotations that indicate the history and development of each belief.
Superstitions have never before been treated in such depth or on such a scale. An entertaining volume for anyone curious about the beliefs of the past, A Dictionary of Superstitions also makes a valuable contribution to the study of folklore, providing the first systematic account of beliefs that form an integral part of our social life.

About this title

About the Author

About the Editors:
Iona Opie is noted for her pioneering work on children's folklore and games. Moira Tatem is a former school teacher and an expert on superstitions.

From Library Journal

This one-volume reference work on superstitions does not compare favorably with such works as Edwin & Mona A. Radford's Encyclopedia of Superstitions (Greenwood, 1969. reprint). Its two major flaws are a failure to spell out clearly at the beginning of each entry exactly what superstition is being covered and a tendency to plunge immediately into ancient examples of folk wisdom or incidents on the subject. This is not so much a dictionary as a trove of historical examples of superstitious behavior. As such, it has a very limited appeal to advanced scholars and limited appeal to libraries. It could, however, serve as a back-up for those who want further information not found in works like that of the Radfords.
- Gordon Stein, Univ. of Rhode Island Lib., Kingston
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0192115979
• ISBN 13: 9780192115973
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 510
• Editor: Opie Iona, Tatem Moira