In the original dustsheet. Black cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

• F.B.A. provides an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available.

Many of the popular, often prophetic, phrases that people use on a day-to-day basis have their roots in traditional folklore. For example: “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb,” “Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home,” and “The best-laid schemes o’mice an’ men.” Such common idioms are familiar to most people, but their history and origins are far from well known. Here readers will discover that there is a wealth of fascinating stories and history behind them. This charming book is filled with sayings, legends, and proverbs derived from the oral history of the countryside, and it unveils how they came about, what they mean, and how they came to be such a big part of language today. Written with a light touch and expert knowledge, it will entertain and inform in equal measure—the perfect gift for anyone with an interest in the rich and varied heritage of the English language.

Chloe Rhodes is a freelance writer and journalist whose work has appeared in The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Independent on Sunday, as well as in several other national publications. Her previous books include A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi: Words We Pinched From Other Languages and One For Sorrow: A Book of Old-Fashioned Lore, both published by Michael O’Mara Books.