Dictionary of Superstitions

A comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the superstitions, old and new, of the English-speaking world, complete with their origins, meanings and variant forms. It includes just about everything from touching wood, identifying future lovers and walking under ladders to folk remedies, spells and modern beliefs relating to the lottery, the computer and the mobile phone. A first-class source book for the historian, folklorist and casual reader alike, it also offers antidotes to some of the most feared taboos. Would you know what to do if you broke a mirror?