A wide ranging study of nursery rhyme meaningsJanuary 1, 2009 In the 70s there was a documentary on the TV about the plague and how the nursery rhyme 'Ring a ring a roses' was all about the plague symptoms. Having grown up with this knowledge, the idea that nursery rhymes have deeper meanings stayed with me and I was delighted to receive this as a gift. Wonderfully most rhymes have sinister or unusual origins - Humpty Dumpty was a cannon for example.
The text contains a vast number of rhymes with all the verses (many I have never heard) and the author is clear where he has doubts or offers alternative histories where the options are not clear cut.
The only slight grumble I have is that the alphabetic order makes this a book to dip in an out of, rather than read by themes (e.g. Catholic persecution), but there are many cross references.
As to ring a ring a roses, sadly the case is for from proven!
FascinatingDecember 11, 2008 0 out of 2 found this review helpful
A wonderful little book, don't take any negatives at all about the original research that's gone into it... sour grapes... a collection of anything by any standards is per se a collection. Loved it!
A great readSeptember 22, 2008 33 out of 36 found this review helpful
Enjoyed this book from start to end. The type of book to have by your bedside at night. Will pass to my children when slightly older....The author introduced me in to the wonderful world of nursery rhymes. When I purchased this book, Amazon recomended buying "Now Then Lad"!! This also is a fantastic read.
