Among the many pleasant little superstitions, never really believed, rarely wholly disregarded, are the custom of the horse-shoe symbol, the faith in " luck," the distrust of Friday as a day of evil omen, the dislike of sitting thirteen at a table, the disagreeable feeling at upsetting the salt, the suspicion of uncanniness about black cats and dogs, and the opinion that most odd numbers are more fortunate than even ones. All these popular fancies and many more are discussed by Dr. Lawrence with a wide reach of citation and illustration. Works of this class have a value'much beyond the recording of trivial superstitions. They are contributions to the psychology of man, and often throw unexpected light on serious investigations into the history of religions and rituals. The same motives, hopes, fears, underlie all beliefs in the unseen, unknown powers which control the destiny of man; and it is profitable to study these motives, in all their manifestations, however insignificant they may individually seem.
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This is the illustrated edition including all the beautiful drawings by Frederick Richardson. This is the story of a magic cloak, woven by the fairies in an hour of boredom, that will fulfill one wish for each wearer. It is given to a little girl who declares herself to be "the most unhappy person in all the world". Her brother is soon afterwards proclaimed King of Noland, and Queen Zixi of the neighboring kingdom of Ix hears about the cloak. She sets out to steal it from its owner, not knowing that it loses its magic powers when stolen. The cloak passes through many hands and fulfills many wishes before it is cut up by an old woman for her crazy quilt. It is finally reclaimed by the fairy queen, without Zixi ever having her wish granted.
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This is the illustrated edition including all the beautiful drawings by William Wallace Denslow. The little boat in which Dot and Tot are picnicking floats away through a tunnel and into the magic Kingdom of Merryland, which is divided into seven valleys, each populated by a very unusual group of inhabitants. The first valley is occupied by a race of clowns; the second is a candy country where the people are made of marshmallow, chocolate and other sweets; the third is the home of unborn babies and the storks who deliver them to earth. In the fourth valley, all the people are dolls, and here lives the Queen of Merryland, a large and beautiful wax doll. Next comes a valley of cats. In the sixth valley lives a highly animated group of toys. The last, the Valley of Lost Things, is entirely "covered with thousands and thousands of pins", and very well supplied with buttons, thimbles and hair pins. Dot and Tot visit each of these places in turn and arrive home again after having received the titles of Prince and Princess of Merryland.
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<p> Philip Haldane and his sister lived in a little red-roofed house in a little redroofed town. They had a little garden and a little balcony, and a little stable with a little pony in it—and a little cart for the pony to draw; a little canary hung in a little cage in the little bow-window, and the neat little servant kept everything as bright and clean as a little new pin.</p> <br> <p> Philip had no one but his sister, and she had no one but Philip. Their parents were dead, and Helen, who was twenty years older than Philip and was really his half-sister, was all the mother he had ever known. And he had never envied other boys their mothers, because Helen was so kind and clever and dear. She gave up almost all her time to him; she taught him all the lessons he learned; she played with him, inventing the most wonderful new games and adventures.</p> <br> <p> <br><strong> ABOUT AUTHOR:</strong></p> <br> <p> Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 1858 – 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.</p> <br> <p> </p>
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William Wells Brown, the subject of this narrative, was born a slave in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1834 he escaped from a steamboat in Cincinnati and found shelter at a Quaker family. In 1849 he started a journey through Europe, of which this book tells us. Brown is also known as the author of "Clotel", the first novel written by an Afro-American. When we consider that it is the production of a fugitive from slavery, who never in all his life passed so much as a day in a school, its claims upon our notice are manifest enough. We are glad that it has been allowed to go forth just as is was written, with its slight inaccuracies and inelegancies, the genuine product of the writer's brain. Mr. Brown's opportunities were good, and his sketches of persons and things are very lively. Many a graduate of our colleges would not make half so entertaining a volume.
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<p>Jean Bodel a minstrel of the thirteenth century, wrote, "There are but three subjects which interest men,—the tales of France, of Britain, and of Rome the great; and to these subjects there is nothing like. The tales of Britain are so light and pleasant, those of Rome are wise and of teachful sense; those of France, truly every day of greater appearance." <br> <br>In this story of Roland as I propose telling it, I shall intro-duce you to some of the most pleasing of those "tales of France" The poems and legends which embody them were written in various languages, and at widely different times; but in them two names, Charlemagne and Roland are of very frequent occurrence. Charlemagne, as you know, was a real historical personage, the greatest monarch of medieval times. His empire included France, the greater part of Germany and Italy; and his power and influence were felt all over the Christian world. The fame of his achievements in war was heralded and sung in every country of Europe; his name was in the mouth of every story-teller and wandering bard; and it finally became customary to ascribe all the heroic deeds and wonderful events of three centuries to the time of Charlemagne. <br> <br>The songs and stories in which these events were related were dressed up with every kind of embellishment to suit the circumstances of their recital. Wild myths of the Pagan ages, legends and traditions of the Christian Church, superstitious notions of magic and witchcraft, fantastic stories derived from the Arabs of Spain and the East,—all these were blended in one strange mass, and grafted upon a slender core of historical truth. The result was a curious mixture of fact and fiction, of the real and the marvellous, of the beautiful and the impure, of Christian devotion and heathen superstition. And it was thus that "the tales of France", which we may term the legendary history of Charlemagne, came into being ..</p>
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In this book Mr. Roback gives the dedicated reader the perfect overview of and the entry into the secrets of astrology. From historical aspects to in-depth knowledge, everything is laid out at the fingertips of the reader. Contents: History Of Astrology. Elementary Principles Of Astrology. Chiromancy - The Art Of Foretelling Events By The Hands. The Doctrine Of Nativities: According To Horary Astrology, Etc Geomancy Physiognomy And Metoposcopy Ancient Phrenology Metoposcopy Divine Origin Of Astrology Narratives And Anecdotes In Relation To Witchcraft, Magic, Etc.
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<p>THAT going to the seaside was the very beginning of everything—only it seemed as though it were going to be a beginning without an end, like the roads on the Sussex downs which look like roads and then look like paths, and then turn into sheep tracks, and then are just grass and furze bushes and tottergrass and harebells and rabbits and chalk.</p> <br> <p>The children had been counting the days to The Day. Bernard indeed had made a calendar on a piece of cardboard that had once been the bottom of the box in which his new white sandshoes came home. He marked the divisions of the weeks quite neatly in red ink, and the days were numbered in blue ink, and every day he crossed off one of those numbers with a piece of green chalk he happened to have left out of a penny box. Mavis had washed and ironed all the dolls’ clothes at least a fortnight before The Day.</p> <br> <p>This was thoughtful and farsighted of her, of course, but it was a little trying to Kathleen, who was much younger and who would have preferred to go on playing with her dolls in their dirtier and more familiar state.</p> <br> <p>“Well, if you do,” said Mavis, a little hot and cross from the ironing board,</p> <br> <p>“I’ll never wash anything for you again, not even your face.”<br> * * *</p> <br> <p>When four siblings journey to the seashore for a holiday, one of them unwittingly summons the sister ofa mermaid who is captured by a circus, and the children set out to save the imprisoned being. After a daring midnight rescue, the children's reward is an incredible journey beneath the waves and into the hidden kingdom of the mermaids.</p> <br> <p>But they soon find themselves in a race against time as they struggle to prevent a war and save their new underwater companions! Here is a triumphant tale by one of the finest storytellers to ever write for children, and a pioneer of fantasy literature for this age group.</p>
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