What are the origins of table manners? What are the politics of cannibalism? Why is the left hand thought to be sinister? This book provides the answers. These apparently unrelated questions all hinge on the fundamental notion of taboo and the author explains that, far from being peripheral leftovers from distant times and places, taboos are a crucial part of any society, determining how people must and must not behave.
Lynn Holden is a post-doctoral fellow at the School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.
"Public libraries and junior college and college libraries where there is interest will find this a useful addition." - Booklist "Recommended for public and academic libraries." - Choice "Casual readers will be intrigued by the variety of taboos covered, which include those relating to beans, the color red, the origin of table manners, and cannibalism. Students and researchers will find most entries well detailed and based on solid research. Recommended for reference collections in both academic and public libraries." - Library Journal "Written in an engaging style, this fascinating book is sure to interest both those with a special interest in the field as well as general readers. It is recommended for academic and public libraries." - American Reference Books Annual "Taken in conjunction with the scholarly approach to the subject, the book is an 'encyclopedia-plus', usefully filling the gap in the subject noted by the author in her brief preface." - Reference Reviews
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