Household Lore - by Liza Frank (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A perfect gift, this fun illustrated book will take you room by room to discover global traditions, remedies, folklore and rituals hiding in your house.

Uncover the folklore and rituals hiding in your own home.

If you've ever wondered which windowsill herbs repel the supernatural, which way you should hang up a horseshoe, or whether your dog can talk, crack open this book and take a tour around the beliefs and traditions that lurk under the stairs, inside the cracks and behind every cobweb of your home.

In every culture, folklore is passed down the generations, helping us to protect and maintain our sacred spaces and giving us advice should we accidentally knock a fork off the table or want to dabble in some doorway divination. With each chapter dedicated to a different room in the house, you'll learn how to navigate your home harmoniously.

• Discover how your roof can predict the future and what to do should a witch decide to land on it.
• Tiptoe into the bedroom and uncover what the ancients had to say about aphrodisiacs and how to escape supernatural interference while asleep.
• Sit down in the dining room and lift the lid on unsavoury indigestion remedies and what the old wives recommended for a hangover.
• From the rafters to the cellar steps, from the garden path to the kitchen cupboard - your home is chock-full of secrets waiting to be revealed.

Review Quotes

"Household Lore is a delightful exploration of the folklore hidden in your home. Entertaining and charming, it is a rich cornucopia of useful information that will lead you down wonderful rabbit holes from how to handle a cough (slices of garlic in your shoes), to dealing with a snoring partner (pop a lemon under their pillow). Try any of these at your own risk, but do try the book, which can be lightly snacked upon or hungrily devoured. Either way, Liza's writing is always nourishing soul food."
- Jenifer Toksvig, author and playwright

About the Author

Liza Frank is a have-a-go folklorist and author. She has written extensively about myth and folklore and spent a year living by the rules of folklore for The Everyday Lore Project. Her first book, My Celebrity Boyfriend published in 2007, her second, Everyday Folklore: An Almanac for the Ritual Year in 2023.