Pop Goes the Weasel: The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes

From the international bestselling author of Red Herrings and White Elephants—a curious guide to the hidden histories of classic nursery rhymes.

Who was Mary Quite Contrary, or Georgie Porgie? How could Hey Diddle Diddle offer an essential astronomy lesson? Do Jack and Jill actually represent the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette? And if Ring Around the Rosie isn’t about the plague, then what is it really about?

This book is a quirky, curious, and sometimes sordid look at the truth behind popular nursery rhymes that uncovers the strange tales that inspired them—from Viking raids to political insurrection to smuggling slaves to freedom.

Read Albert Jack's posts on the Penguin Blog.

• The Secret History of Nursery Rhymes
• The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes
• Black Sheep and Lame Ducks: The Origins of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day
• Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Every Day
• Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme
• Black Cats & Four-Leaf Clovers: The Origins of Old Wives' Tales and Superstitions in Our Everyday Lives
• Lore Of The Land: A Guide To Englands Legends From Spring Heeled Jack To The Witche
• Why Do We Say It?: The Stories Behind the Words, Expressions, and Cliches We Use
• The Annotated Mother Goose: With an Introduction and Notes