Pop Goes the Weasel
  • Published: 1 November 2010
  • ISBN: 9780141030982
  • Imprint: Penguin Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $32.00

Pop Goes the Weasel

The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes

Formats & editions
EBook
17 Nov 2010
Paperback
1 Nov 2010
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The very surprising stories behind the rhymes we grew up with, from bestselling author Albert Jack.

Mr Jack has been nimble and he's been quick, searching through the history of nursery rhymes and he's found out all kind of plum tales, just like little Jack Horner. He's unearthed the answers to some very curious questions...

Who were Mary Quite Contrary and Georgie Porgie? How could Hey Diddle Diddle offer an essential astronomy lesson? And if Ring a Ring a Roses isn't about catching the plague, then what is it really about? This ingenious book delves into the hidden meanings of the nursery rhymes and songs we all know so well and discovers all kinds of strange tales ranging from Viking raids to firewalking and from political rebellion to slaves being smuggled to freedom.

Full of vivid illustrations and with each verse reproduced, here are a multitude of surprising stories you won't be able to resist passing on to everyone you know. Your childhood songs and rhymes will never sound the same again.
  • Published: 1 November 2010
  • ISBN: 9780141030982
  • Imprint: Penguin Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $32.00
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About the authors

Albert Jack

ALBERT JACK is a writer and historian. His first book, Red Herrings and White Elephants, explored the origins of well-known phrases; an international bestseller, it was serialised by the Sunday Times for over a year. He followed up this success with a series of bestsellers including Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep and Pop Goes the Weasel, a book exploring the dark histories and little-known meanings behind nursery rhymes.

Fascinated by discovering the truth behind the world's great stories, Albert has become an expert in explaining the unexplained. He is now a veteran of hundreds of live television shows and thousands of radio appearances worldwide. He divides his time between Guildford and Cape Town.