Böcker av Diane Purkiss

An eclectic exploration of witchcraft and magic through 100 objects, practices and symbols.

'A history you'll devour... a fabulous read' Sunday Times In this delicious history of Britain's food traditions, Diane Purkiss invites readers on a unique journey through the centuries, exploring the development of recipes and rituals for mealtimes such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to show how food has been both a reflection of and inspiration for social continuity and change. Purkiss uses the story of food as a revelatory device to chart changing views on class, gender, and tradition through the ages. Sprinkled throughout with glorious details of historical quirks - trial by ordeal of bread, a fondness for 'small beer' and a war-time ice-cream substitute called 'hokey pokey' made from parsnips - this book is both an education and an entertainment. English Food explores the development of the coffee trade and the birth of London's coffee houses, where views were exchanged on politics, art, and literature. Purkiss introduces the first breeders of British beef and reveals how cattle triggered the terrible Glencoe Massacre. We are taken for tea, to the icehouse, the pantry, and the beehive. We learn that toast is as English as the chalk cliffs. We bite into chicken, plainly poached or exotically spiced. We join bacon curers and fishermen at work. We follow the scent of apples into ancient orchards. A rich and indulgent history, English Food will change the way you view your food and understand your past. The table is set, have a seat, and tuck in.

Presenting a history of fairies, in a different light to that of usual, with them presented as darker and menacing trouble makers

This popular history of the English Civil War tells the story of the bloody conflict between Oliver Cromwell and Charles I from the perspectives of those involved.The compelling narrative draws on new sources such as letters, memoirs, ballads and plays to bring to life the Roundheads and Cavaliers, the foot soldiers, war widows and witchfinders of one of the most significant turning points in British history, culminating in Oliver Cromwell's triumph and the execution of Charles I.By blending the political and the personal, Diane Purkiss illuminates both the ideologies behind the English Civil War and the fears of those who fought in it; the men who were destroyed by the conflict and those, such as Oliver Cromwell, who were defined by it.

In this study, Diane Purkiss investigates the diverse interpretations and meanings attributed to the figure of the witch. The areas she considers include Canonical literature, visual arts, fairy tales, folklore, real-life witch stories, pornography and sado-masochism, film, and the stage.