The Magic of the Horse-Shoe: With Other Folk-Lore Notes

by Robert Means Lawrence

From the author's Preface, dated September 1, 1898:

"The expert folk-lorist may find much to criticise; but this book, treating of popular beliefs, is intended for popular reading. It has been the writer's aim to make the chapter on the Horse-Shoe as exhaustive as possible, as this attractive symbol of superstition does not appear to have received hitherto the attention which it merits. This chapter is the outgrowth of a paper read at the seventh annual meeting of the American Folk-Lore Society, at Philadelphia, December 28, 1895, an abstract of which appeared in the Society's Journal for December, 1896."

Genres: Nonfiction

344 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1898

Reviews

[Jean-marie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! Both for the superstitions that still exist, and the downright weird ones!

[Isla Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting detail. A bit bland at times, I suppose depending on what interests you. An easy book to skim read. Curious stuff.

[Irina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative read! Loved it

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a re-print of a book that was published in 1898. The author has collected snippets of folklore on different aspects (the horseshoe, salt, sneezing, animals, numbers, etc.) mostly from Europe but with a few examples elsewhere too. These are really interesting and entertaining, but since there are no references, it doesn't really pass the requirements for an academic study today. But it's a fun read anyway!

[Seizure Romero]

I found this 1899 gem (second printing, alas) at the Seattle Public Library sale last October. I know I'm going to end up giving it at least four stars. How do I know this? Because the contents page lists chapter headings as follows:

The Magic of the Horseshoe
Fortune and Luck
The Folk-Lore of Common Salt
The Omens of Sneezing
Days of Good and Evil Omen
Superstitious Dealings with Animals
The Luck of Odd Numbers
Topical Index

(emphasis added by reviewer)

I love library sales.

[Kourosh Keshavarz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stopped this after a couple of chapters. Although at first it was quick to flick through the dry facts after a while it was painful to read. I think something like this should be written in more of a story style narrative such as the books of Bill Bryson. The author had obviously done the research but the repetitive facts made it difficult to stay engaged.

[LC Coole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book on superstition and folklores but is quite dated and leans towards Christian beliefs, even though ancient ones are included too.
Some topics have a bit too much information written on it (sneezing), whilst others (flora and fauna) aren’t mentioned as much as I would like.