Discovering Christmas Customs and Folklore £6.99

Margaret Baker

978 0 0175 7 (Db 32) 120 pp

Does the ancient Boar’s Head Ceremony still take place? And is the Yule Log still burning? Where do they ‘shoot out’ the Old Year and ‘waltz in’ the New? How do you placate a Swedish Tomten? And what are the qualifications for a first-footer? Why does Santa Claus dress differently in Oxford Street and Fifth Avenue?
This book by Margaret Baker deals with many aspects of the world’s most popular festival. It covers the British Isles, Europe, North America and Australia.

Discovering English Customs and Traditions £4.99

Margaret Gascoigne

978 0 7478 0377 5 (Db 66) 96 pp, 42 ills.

Tip-toeing at Gittisham, tree-dressing at Aston-on-Clun, coconut dancing in Bacup and clipping-the-church at Painswick are all rituals peculiar to their localities, annual contributions to the extraordinary fabric of English social life. These are a few of the dozens of quaint and curious traditions still carried on in the towns and shires of England and which are described in this book. It also explains the origins of well-known customs like maypole dancing, well-dressing and rush-bearing, and it indicates when and where these events may be witnessed.
Not all these customs go back to pagan origins. Some are comparatively recent revivals, though based upon more ancient traditions, and some are modern developments, deliberate attempts to add colour and pleasure to present-day living or to remember some event or habit in danger of being forgotten. English customs and the traditions that folk observe are still very much a part of life today.

Discovering Epitaphs £4.99

Geoffrey N. Wright

978 0 7478 0324 9 (Db 144) 64 pp, 53 b/w ills.

Inscriptions on gravestones yield fascinating information about the dead, their lives and occupations and the way they died. There may well be a verse epitaph of a philosophical or moralistic nature, but wit and humour, sometimes unintentional, creep in to enliven the sombre nature of the message.

In this book, the late Geoffrey Wright first traces the background history of churchyard memorials and then describes many examples of inscriptions and epitaphs which somehow bring us much closer to the people they commemorate and the communities in which they lived.

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Discovering First Names £5.99

Stan Jarvis

978 0 7478 0383 6 (Db 289) 104pp

This popular and handy guide includes some two thousand three hundred first names in use in Britain today, set out in alphabetical order. It gives, whenever possible, the meaning of each name with its derivation and language of origin. In cases of unusual names, mention is made of the famous people who have borne them. This book will be a valuable source of reference for perplexed parents-to-be, as well as for people interested in the whys and wherefores of names in general and their own in particular.

The late Stan Jarvis, librarian and museum curator, was born in Winchester in 1926. A flow of articles in newspapers and magazines culminated in the broadcast of his own scripts, and a growing interest in local history and genealogy was reflected in his writings.

Discovering Heraldry £5.99

Jacqueline Fearn

978 0 7478 0660 8 (Db 250) 96 pp

Heraldry’s unfamiliar terminology tends to discourage people from learning more about this fascinating subject. But heraldic language is essential for the precise description of a coat of arms and is soon learned with a little practice. This book provides a gentle introduction, explaining each term with illustrations and text and expounding the basic principles so the reader will understand what a coat of arms consists of and the rules that govern its arrangement. He will find that heraldry is an intriguing study as a colourful art in its own right as well as for its relevance to genealogy and other subjects.

Jacqueline Fearn had a strong interest in the subject which led her to begin research into the romance, art and practicalities of the granting, designing and reading of coats of arms. As the work approached completion she benefited greatly from the positive criticism of the late J. P. Brooke-Little, formerly Clarenceux King of Arms, who wrote the foreword to this book.

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