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Ringing Church Bells to Ward Off Thunderstorms and Other Curiosities from the Original Notes and Queries
Ringing Church Bells to Ward Off Thunderstorms and Other Curiosities from the Original Notes and Queries | William John Thoms, Justin Lovill
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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? These and a host of other vexing questions are addressed in this wide-ranging miscellany drawn from the Victorian Notes and Queries. The result is a plum pudding of a book and an ideal gift for the curious.
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Mistermandolin
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‘Notes and Queries‘ first appeared on 3rd November 1849 and quickly established itself as the nineteenth century‘s go-to miscellany of the odd and the eccentric. This book presents the best bits; questions and answers, mostly. My favourites (in no particular order): ‘ELEPHANTS: Are they aroused by mulberry blood and human earwax?‘; ‘GAME FEATHERS IN BEDDING: Do they delay death?‘; and ‘LEECHES: Can they predict the weather?‘ Terrific stuff.

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