Magic of the Horse Shoe: Now Available!

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This is one of the greater compilations of folklore I have encountered; written by Robert Means Lawrence, it compiles an extremely long and detailed bit of information related to the symbolism and use of horse shoes in the context of good luck and superstition, along with elaborate side topics like the similar superstitious use of salt, or of animals.

Not content to study one culture or time period, Lawrence helpfully decided to span several thousand years of human history in this text, and ruminated on the similarity and overlap between such traditions in dozens of cultures both extinct and then-modern. Those interested in the history of witchcraft, or of certain cryptozoological aspects, will also find a great deal of compiled material here.

252 pages.

Lore of the Unicorn: Now Available!

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This work is pure rationalism circa the early 20th century. Penned by Odell Shepard, it goes to great lengths in being as detailed as possible, not limiting itself by time period or region. Speaking of lore as separate as that of Africa and India, the tale of the unicorn (or alicorn) is rendered not simply to a misunderstood and real beast here, but takes on a wider symbology and meaning.

The most interesting component of Shepard's work here though is medicinal and related to medieval folklore; the unicorn horn (variously the horn of a rhinoceros or narwhal, and sometimes that of an antelope or even a chunk of petrified wood) was rumored in those days to sweat in the presence of any poison and to act as a souped-up sort of bezoar taken internally. The content is at times dense, and it draws on many primary sources both antiquated and then-modern.

216 pages.