This should have been a good book. I mean, look at it, I love reference books, Brewers' Phrase and Fable, Dictionary of Superstitions, this, I thought had promise.
I was wrong. I mean, here's a few samples from the book:
Fortune-Telling: The practice of fortune-telling by reading the palm of the hand is one of the most general activities of Gypsy women in every century. It became the subject of literary mention...
Affection: Among Gypsies there are strong feelings of family affection. Children in particular are overindulged through an excess of such affection. In the first century B.C. the Roman poets Propertius and Catullus showed the deeply moving humanity and love of Roman parents for their children.
I mean, this book has all the depth and understanding of a made-for-TV movie. Bloody hell. I learned more about Gypsies reading Viz's "Thieving Gypsy Bastards"...
