Ringing Church Bells to Ward Off Thunderstorms and Other Curiosities from the Original "Notes and Queries"

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? First published in 1849, Notes and Queries quickly established itself as a unique treasure-trove of lore and 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.