The Man Who Ate Bluebottles: And Other Great British Eccentrics - Hardcover

Caufield, Catherine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1840466979 ISBN 13: 9781840466973

Publisher: Icon Books, 2005

Synopsis

Until he ate a bluebottle, William Buckland had always maintained that the taste of mole was the most repulsive he knew. But that was before he ate the embalmed heart of Louis XVI. Lord Monboddo believed that babies are born with tails, and was a careful observer at the births of his own children - but in each case the midwife outwitted him and managed to destroy the evidence. The Comtesse de Noailles was a keen believer in the benefits of fresh air and methane gas, keeping cows tethered near her open windows so that she could enjoy both ...These are just a few of the eccentrics who enliven the pages of this delightful survey of British loopiness through the ages, a celebration of true originals whose strength of character stands out now more than ever in our age of mass-market conformity. As John Stuart Mill warned as long ago as the 1850s: 'That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of the time.' Catherine Caufield's classic book is an immensely browsable compendium of inspired and inspiring lunacy, beautifully illustrated by Peter Till.

About this title

Review:

‘A compelling read that praises our individual idiosyncrasies.' -- Big Issue

‘A hilarious compilation...not to be missed’ -- Good Book Guide

‘An entertaining and fascinating book about some of our best eccentrics. I enjoyed it immensely.’ -- Patrick Moore

‘Mad dogs and Englishmen, laid out for public gaze.’ -- Fortean Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Icon Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1840466979
• ISBN 13: 9781840466973
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224
• Illustrator: Till Peter