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Was Little Jack Horner a squatter? “Baa
Baa Black Sheep” a bleat about taxation? What did Jack
and Jill really do on that hill? Chris Roberts reveals
the seamy and quirky stories behind our favorite nursery rhymes.
Nursery rhymes are rarely as innocent
as they seem—there is a wealth of concealed meaning
in our familiar childhood verse. More than a century after
Queen Victoria decided that children were better off without
the full story, London librarian Chris Roberts brings the
truth to light. He traces the origins of the subtle phrases
and antiquated references, revealing religious hatred, political
subversion, and sexual innuendo.
Roberts reveals that when Jack, nimble
and quick, jumped over a candlestick, he was reenacting a
popular sport that tested whether a person was lean and healthy.
Humpty Dumpty was actually a cannon mounted on the walls of
a church in Colchester, blown up during the English Civil
War. Few know that the cockles in “Mary, Mary, Quite
Contrary” actually refer to cuckolds in the promiscuous
court of Mary Queen of Scots. Or that “Rub-a-dub-dub,
three maids in a tub” was inspired by a fairground peepshow.
A fascinating history lesson that makes
astonishing connections to contemporary popular culture, Heavy
Words Lightly Thrown is for Anglophiles, parents, history
buffs, and anyone who has ever wondered about the origins
of rhymes. The book features a glossary of slang and historical
terms, and spooky silhouettes of nursery-rhyme characters
to accompany the rhymes. Mother Goose will never look the
same again.
Chris Roberts is a librarian in
South London and the proprietor of F and M Walking Tours in
London. He incorporates these stories into his tours, which
became the inspiration for the book. Heavy Words Lightly
Thrown began as a self-published project in the UK and
has already begun to receive widespread publicity, including
coverage in USA Today. Roberts lived in New York City
for several years after earning a degree in history at Swansea
University. He lived in Berlin for a while before settling
in London.
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