Heavy Words Lightly Thrown; The Reason Behind the Rhyme

New York: Gotham Books, 2005. First American Printing [stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xx, [2], 202 pages. Illustrations. Preface to the US Edition. A brief note about sources. Glossary. Signed by the author on the title page. Autographed copy sticker on front of DJ. Chris Roberts is a librarian in South London, England, and sometime walking tour guide, as he is the proprietor of F and M Walking Tours in London. The stories that Roberts incorporated into his walking tours became the inspiration for his book Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme. which was first published in November 2003 with a limited print run of 2000 copies. What began as a self-published project in the UK soon attracted worldwide publicity, including coverage in USA Today. The book is now available as it is published by Gotham Books. Was Little Jack Horner a squatter? Baa Baa Black Sheep a bleat about taxation? What did Jack and Jill do on that hill? Who was Mary? And why was she contrary? This witty and ingenious book delves into the hidden meanings of forty of the most innocuous- sounding nursery rhymes, uncovering a seething subtext of sexual innuendo, religious hatred, and political subversion. Heavy Words Lightly Thrown provides a fascinating history lesson, teases out some alarming Freudian interpretations, and makes astonishing connections to contemporary popular culture. Striking and spooky silhouettes of nursery rhyme characters accompany the rhymes. You ll never see Mother Goose in the same way again.