This book explores the rich culinary heritage of Worcestershire, through the history of its food and drink.

Folklore. Washington Irving and Mark Twain used it in their fiction; Sigmund Freud and William James incorporated it into their work; Henry Ford and Franklin Roosevelt promoted it. Their efforts were set against the background of folklorists who brought collections of traditional tales, songs, and crafts to the attention of a modernizing society. The ideas of these folklorists influenced how Americans thought about the character of their society and the directions it was taking. Here for the first time is a history of American folkloristic ideas and the figures who shaped them. Simon Bronner puts these ideas in cultural context, showing the interconnection of folklore studies with historical events, social changes, and intellectual movements. He follows the beginnings of American folklore studies in the antiquarian literature of the 1830s through the rise of folklore societies in the 1880s to the emergence of an independent discipline in the 1950s. In this progression, Bronner identifies several major themes tying folklore studies to intellectual history: first, the unearthing of a hidden, usable past; second, the charting of time and space; and third, the structuring of communication. More than a chronological or biographical history, this book is an interpretation of folkloristic ideas and their relationship to American society.

Ever wondered if there's any truth behind planting by the moon? Or why wassailing is still a common folk practice in some parts of the world? In Gardener's Folklore, the record of these practices is unveiled, with plenty of tips and tricks to try in your own 21st century garden for blooming bushes and plentiful potatoes. First published in 1976, Gardener's Folklore collects the little bits of magic and myth to be found in the gardens of Britain and North America. Compiled from letters sent by gardeners to the author Margaret Baker, it unravels and documents the mysterious sayings and scraps of knowledge that are passed down through generations, while exploring the science of the time that backed up - or in some cases, didn't - the claims that were made. This delightfully written book shows just what people have believed and still believe will help their plants to grow. The observance of lunar and astrological conditions when planting, ways of encouraging fruit-bearing and discouraging pests, beliefs about the effects of climate and calendar, spells, the influence for good and bad of certain plants, the links between owners and trees - these are only a few of the aspects of gardening lore that are discussed. Gleaned from the people who grew up with them, they have much to say about our rural origins as well as having, here and there, implications for our future. Capturing the knowledge that old-time gardeners used to have remarkable successes, the ancient secrets of a happy healthy garden are shared for a new generation of green-fingered plant-lovers.