For centuries prior to the development of an effective vaccination against rabies, the bite of a "mad" dog was linked to a horrific ailment marked by convulsions, an utter dread of swallowing liquids, uncontrollable thrashing, and even the tendency to bark and attempt to bite others-a horrid prelude to an agonizing death. Drawing on learned theories of medical practitioners and beliefs of the common people, The Bearer of Crazed and Venomous Fangs investigates the cultural mythology of the ailment known today as rabies. By exploring the cultural history of science, traditional belief, and folk medicine, it reveals the popular myths and learned delusions that came to define the disease. Among the arresting topics explored are the attribution of rabies to a worm beneath the tongue, the notion that the disease could arise spontaneously, the idea that it could be "cured" by the application to the wound of special stones or animal parts, and, if all else failed, the treatment of it by the suffocation of the human victim. Rich in detail and brimming with historical intrigue, The Bearer of Crazed and Venomous Fangs engages students of medicine and the history of science, veterinary studies, folklore, psychology, and anyone interested in how mankind's best friend could be thought of as its cruelest, fiercest enemy.

This concise edition of the definitive 3-volume Dictionary of European Proverbs constitutes a fascinating collection of proverbs in 29 languages. The entries are arranged alphabetically according to the English equivalent, allowing the reader to identify common trends easily and quickly. * All proverbs listed in original language * 29 European languages featured * Includes all proverbs in current use * Thoroughly checked by language specialists to ensure accuracy. The Concise Dictionary of European Proverbs is based on over 40 years in-depth research by the compiler. It is an essential reference source for linguists, ethnologists and folklorists, and of interest to anyone wanting to know about the origins, development and current usage of the proverb. Emanuel Straussis a world-renowned expert on proverbs.

This book is about the folklore surrounding many aspects of jewelry. The author says that in it will be found "an interesting galaxy of anecdote, research, and information upon a fascinating subject." The book is divided into ten chapters each dealing with a particular type of gem, or, its supposed powers and so on.

Mark Twain's humorous account of his six years in Nevada, San Francisco, and the Sandwich Islands is a patchwork of personal anecdotes and tall tales, many of them told in the "vigorous new vernacular" of the West. Selling seventy five thousand copies within a year of its publication in 1872, Roughing It was greeted as a work of "wild, preposterous invention and sublime exaggeration" whose satiric humor made "pretension and false dignity ridiculous." Meticulously restored from a variety of original sources, the text is the first to adhere to the author's wishes in thousands of details of wording, spelling, and punctuation, and includes all of the 304 first-edition illustrations. With its comprehensive and illuminating notes and supplementary materials, which include detailed maps tracing Mark Twain's western travels, this Mark Twain Library Roughing It must be considered the standard edition for readers and students of Mark Twain.