From conkers to marbles, from British Bulldog to tag, not forgetting "one potato, two potato" and "eeny, meeny, miny, mo," The Lore of the Playground looks at the games children have enjoyed, the rhymes they have chanted, and the rituals and traditions they have observed over the past hundred years and more. Each generation has had its own favorites. Some pastimes, such as skipping, have proved remarkably resilient, their complicated rules carefully handed down from one class to the next. Many are now the stuff of distant memory, and some traditions have proved to be strongly regional, loved by children in one part of the country, unknown to those elsewhere. All are brilliantly and meticulously recorded by Steve Roud, who has drawn on interviews with hundreds of people aged from 8 to 80 to create a fascinating picture of all our childhoods.

The Lore of the Playground: The Children's World - Then and Now

Humor & Entertainment

Roud, Steve

Puzzles & Games

Arrow

London is a city with almost as many ancient legends and deep-rooted customs as it has streets and landmarks, and here a leading folklorist brings together an astonishingly rich selection of them—tales of ghosts and witches; stories about fabled events, heroes, and villains; and accounts of local supersitions and beliefs. Beyond simply retelling these stories it also delves through layers of hearsay and speculation to investigate how and why they arose. In the process, it shows how the story of Dick Whittington and his cat has connections with the ancient Middle East, explains why lions rather than ravens at the Tower of London were once felt to be inextricably bound up with the city’s fate, and pinpoints precisely where the story of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, was first recorded. Exploring everything from local superstitions, to ghost stories, to annual customs, thisis an enchanting guide to the ancient legends and deep-rooted beliefs that can be found the length and breadth of the city.

London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World's Most Vibrant City

History

Europe

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 does breaking a mirror lead to misfortune? This fascinating collection answers these and many other questions about the world of superstitions and forms an endlessly browsable guide to a subject that continues to obsess and intrigue.

Penguin Guide To The Superstitions Of Britain And Ireland

Reference

Foreign Language Study & Reference

Penguin Uk

The English Year

The English Year: A Month-by-Month Guide to the Nation's Customs and Festivals, from May Day to Mischief Night

Penguin Global

This enthralling book will take you, month-by-month, day-by-day, through all the festivities of English life. From national celebrations such as New Year’s Eve to regional customs such as the Padstow Hobby Horse procession, cheese rolling in Gloucestershire and Easter Monday bottle kicking in Leeds, it explains how they originated, what they mean and when they occur. A fascinating guide to the richness of our heritage and the sometimes eccentric nature of life in England, The English Year offers a unique chronological view of our social customs and attitudes

Travel

The definitive collection of folk music - one of the great English popular art forms One of the great English popular art forms, the folk song can be painful, satirical, erotic, dramatic, rueful or funny. This magical new collection brings together all the classic folk songs as well as many lesser-known discoveries, complete with music and annotations on their original sources and meaning. Published in cooperation with the English Folk Dance and Song Society, it is a worthy successor to Ralph Vaughan Williams and A. L. Lloyd's original Penguin Book of English Folk Songs.

The Penguin Classics New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs

Arts & Photography

Bishop, Julia

Music

Penguin Classic

With 1250 entries ranging from dragons to Mother Goose, May Day to Michaelmas, this enchanting dictionary unfurls the colorful history behind the holidays, customs, legends, and superstitious beliefs of England. Ever wonder why we kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas or think a rabbit's foot brings good luck? Two folklore authorities provide reliable and often surprising answers to these and other curiosities that have shaped daily life in England for centuries. They explore the festivals and past celebrations of the English calendar, from St. Andrews Day and its tradition of drunkenness and cross-dressing to Twelfth Night and its king and queen cake. They also provide concise portraits of real and legendary characters that populate the public memory, including Robin Hood, The Brothers Grimm, Lady Godiva, Puck, and The Sandman. Fairies, mermaids, hobgoblins, and changelings are but a few of the supernatural forces surveyed here. However, as folklore encompasses the mundane as well as the fantastic, numerous other entries illuminate the significance of colors, numbers, flowers, animals, and household objects. Learn the curious history behind our distrust of the "black sheep," popular credence in "wishbone" wishes, folk cures for nosebleeds and warts, and persistent old wives' tales. In addition to ancient and medieval folklore, you will find many contemporary urban legends, e.g., the vanishing hitchhiker--a spooky figure seen ominously by travelers in Britain and the United States--and the Tooth Fairy. An entertaining resource, The Dictionary of English Folklore will be a fascinating companion for readers of English literature, history, cultural studies, and fantasy.

A Dictionary of English Folklore

SIMPSON, Jacqueline

Oxford University Press

Ever wonder why we kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas or think a rabbit's foot brings good luck? In this informative volume, two folklore authorities provide reliable and often surprising answers to these and other curiosities that have shaped daily life in England for centuries. Comprising 1,250 entries, this dictionary explores the festivals and past celebrations of the English calendar, from St. Andrews Day and its tradition of drunkenness and cross-dressing to Twelfth Night and its king and queen cake. It also provides concise portraits of real and legendary characters that populate the public memory, including Robin Hood, The Brothers Grimm, Lady Godiva, Puck, and The Sandman. And just as folklore encompasses the mundane as well as the fantastic, numerous other entries illuminate the significance of colors, numbers, flowers, animals, and household objects. In addition to ancient and medieval folklore, readers will find many contemporary urban legends, such as the vanishing hitchhiker--an ominous figure seen by travelers in Britain and the United States--and the Tooth Fairy.

A Dictionary of English Folklore (Oxford Quick Reference)

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Containing 1,250 entries, from dragons to Mother Goose, May Day to Michaelmas, this reference work is an absorbing and entertaining guide to English folklore. Aimed at a broad general readership, the dictionary provides an authoritative reference source on such legendary characters as The Sandman, Jack the Giant Killer, and Robin Hood, and gives entertaining and informative explanations of a wide range of subjects in folklore, from nosebleeds and wishbones to cats and hot cross buns.

This dictionary is part of the Oxford Reference Collection: using sustainable print-on-demand technology to make the acclaimed backlist of the Oxford Reference programme perennially available in hardback format. An engrossing guide to English folklore and traditions, with over 1,250 entries. Folklore is connected to virtually every aspect of life, part of the country, age group, and occupation. From the bizarre to the seemingly mundane, it is as much a feature of the modern technological age as of the ancient world. BL Oral and Performance genres-Cheese rolling, Morris dancing, Well-dressingEL BL Superstitions-Charms, Rainbows, WishbonesEL BL Characters-Cinderella, Father Christmas, Robin Hood, Dick WhittingtonEL BL Supernatural Beliefs-Devil's hoofprints, Fairy rings, Frog showersEL BL Calendar Customs-April Fool's Day, Helston Furry Day, Valentine's DayEL

A Dictionary of English Folklore (The Oxford Reference Collection)

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Roud, Steve. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Roud, Steve

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Roud, Steve. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Lore of the Playground: The Children's World - Then and Now

London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World's Most Vibrant City

Penguin Guide To The Superstitions Of Britain And Ireland

The English Year

The English Year

The Penguin Classics New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs

A Dictionary of English Folklore

A Dictionary of English Folklore (Oxford Quick Reference)

A Dictionary of English Folklore (Oxford Quick Reference)

A Dictionary of English Folklore (The Oxford Reference Collection)