Wedding Bells and Chimney Sweeps is a wideranging, highly readable collection of information about marriage, a miscellany of facts, lore, statistics, old wives' tales, historical snippets, anecdotes, quotations, myths and superstitions.From the origin of the reading of banns to marriages conducted by ships' captains, the significance to a bride of the wooden spoon to the tradition of tossing her garter, the red tape required before a marriage can take place to Amish weddings and wedlock in literature, here is a book in which readers, married, soon-to-be-married, or determinedly single, are bound to find something to interest, amuse, astonish or, sometimes, appal them.Whether read or dipped into by anxious fiancé, nervous bride, doubtful father-in-law, doting aunt, beaming bridesmaid or melancholy former lover - or simply someone with a passing interest in some of our oldest traditions, religious and pagan - this is a book to delight even the least romantically minded reader.

This book commemorates the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death on 23 April 1616. Four centuries later, sales of his works are second only to the Bible. Yet, in common with the authors of the Holy Book, little is known about the poet and playwright, and the few facts that have emerged over the course of several hundred years are largely speculative – when they aren't complete b*llocks. An entry from the diary written by the Revd John Ward, vicar of Stratford-upon-Avon from 1662 to 1681, is instructive, for he recorded tales passed on to him by people who had known Shakespeare. In one, he mentions that 'the Bard' held his fifty-second birthday party at New Place in Stratford and that 'Shakespeare, [the poet Michael] Drayton and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting, and it seems, drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a feavour there contracted.' But if the date of his death is known, the actual day of his birth remains conjecture. As does so much else . . . This amusing but instructive book assembles many of the legends, the lies, the imputations, and a host of uncommon facts from the late Tudor and early Jacobean period, loosely arranged in chronological order to establish William Shakespeare in his literary and historical setting. In doing so, it shows us the man and his time, thereby illuminating the greatest playwright who ever lived.

'Birds do it, bees do it, Even educated fleas do it . . . 'So wrote Cole Porter in his famous song from 1928, 'Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love'. To which Bruce Montague, author of this enlightening and amusing collection, silently replied, 'Yes, but how do they do it?'Birds, Bees and Educated Fleas is an amusing A-Z of the courtship and mating habits of animals - including Homo sapiens sapiens. From well-hung South American drakes to shy camels arranging secret love trysts, female chameleons whose skin darkens when they're no longer in the mood to giraffes who swing their hips and swish their tails when they're feeling frisky, oysters that can change sex pretty much at will to stud rhinoceroses that can copulate three or four times a day for a week, this is a wide-ranging, light-hearted but well-researched look at the world of animal love and lust. Arranged alphabetically by species, here is the perfect handbook for any peeping Tom or Tomasina who wants to know what goes on in the animal world behind the - metaphorical - bedroom curtains.

A complete guide for anyone wanting to organise their own event, no matter what the event, how large or small. Suitable for first time events organisers or experienced events managers, with a handy section for anyone looking for a career in events management and a comprehensive wedding planning section. This is the complete book black and white version because the book is too big to publish in colour. The colour version is available in 2 parts (1. generic events management 2. wedding planning).

From the engagement to the honeymoon, the act of getting married is surrounded with tradition and superstition. In All About Weddings, the ultimate question-and-answer book on matrimony, light is shed on the mysteries behind the rituals and rites of marriage; the past, present, and future of the enduring ceremony are explored worldwide; and the meaning of everything from boutonniere and confetti to woo and wet bargain is explained. Along the way you’ll also discover: What is the origin of the word "wedding" Why does the bride throw her bouquet? What is a shivaree? Why are cakes served at weddings? Where did the expression "tie the knot" come from? Why does a bride have bridesmaids? How did the custom of a dowry originate? How did "stag parties" originate? What is the highest-grossing wedding movie of all time?