Author: ROBERTS, CHRIS
Title: Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme
Description: F and M Publications UK. 2003. (ISBN: 9780954482800). Hardcover. Hardback - 2003 - good condition - - used books, secondhand books, out of print books, hard to find books, for sale, second-hand books, nonfiction, non-fiction books, college books, student books, first editions, signed copies, exlibrary books sold, delivered world wide. Isbn 0-9544828-0-8, 0954482808. Little Jack Horner a squatter? Humpty Dumpty a cannon? Baa baa black sheep a bleat about taxation? Well it certainly looks that way. This book, with supporting illustrations from twenty one different artists, explains the adult stories behind many of the most popular nursery rhymes and, in a light hearted skim through British history, attempts to place them into context. Heavy words lightly thrown deals with the history and stories behind some of the most popular nursery rhymes. The book investigates the theories as to what the rhymes might be based on and draws heavily on contemporary culture to make the reason behind the rhyme clearer. This book is not aimed at academics but is targetted at adults interested in the seamier side of history or folk who just enjoy quirky stories. In the end it seemed that the ideal person was somebody who likes a bit of art and history, has a wry sense of humour and is in need of fresh anecdotes to tell down the pub or anywhere else for that matter. It would be unwise to let your child see it unless you fancy answering awkward questions about pre-marital sex (Jack and Jill), heresy (Three Blind Mice) or prostitution (Goosie, goosie gander). Each rhyme (and an additional chapter on sex and relationships in nursery rhymes) are illustrated by one of the artists. The illustrations vary from the traditional to the modern and bring a whole new dimension to the reasons behind the rhyme. The book grew out of research for a series of London walking tours but quickly grew to encompass rhymes from all over the country. It's a very simple idea, to write up the adult origins of children's rhymes, in the quirky fashion bringing fresh understanding to the rhymes by heavy use of current cultural comparisons. A collection of artists were brought together to work on the rhymes. The artwork reflects a variety of styles from the traditional, what you might expect in a book of nursery rhymes, to other pieces that take the rhymes to different places, artistically speaking. The idea was to produce a stylish and attractive book that could showcase the talents of the artists and amuse and entertain a readership interested in history and in need of fresh anecdotes to relate at the pub. The book is a light hearted romp through British history aimed at adults and packed with contemporary pop culture references that hopefully contribute to the understanding of the nursery rhymes featured. Used: Acceptable.

Keywords: 9780954482800


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