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Very Superstitious: 100 Superstitions From Around the World
Find a penny, pick it up
All day long you'll have good luck
Whether hopping over cracks, saluting magpies or knocking on wood, we all seek good fortune through performing curious rituals. But is there ancient wisdom behind the folklore of superstition?
In this exquisitely illustrated tour through centuries of tradition, Willow Wimsham explores the mysterious origins behind 100 of the most intriguing superstitions from across globe.
All day long you'll have good luck
Whether hopping over cracks, saluting magpies or knocking on wood, we all seek good fortune through performing curious rituals. But is there ancient wisdom behind the folklore of superstition?
In this exquisitely illustrated tour through centuries of tradition, Willow Wimsham explores the mysterious origins behind 100 of the most intriguing superstitions from across globe.
211 pages, Hardcover
Published October 4, 2022
About the author
Willow Winsham
18 books34 followersWillow Winsham brings readers regular tales of witches and witchcraft at her blog, The Witch, the Weird and the Wonderful. Combining a passion for research and history with a love of storytelling, she dedicates her time to investigating some of the most intriguing stories from the history of the British Isles.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 20, 2023
I like the illustrations and organization of this book, but the written content itself struck me as lackluster. Most of the entries felt like lists of, "Here, X means Y, and there, X means the opposite of Y. But in a third place, X can mean both Y and the opposite of Y, depending on the specific situation." Some entries had origin stories, which is what drew me to this book initially, but most of them were inconclusive or speculative, so I didn't gain much from the entry besides, "So this superstition exists, apparently," which is fun on its own, but not as educational as I had hoped. There were also a couple of typos that I noticed; most of them were small commas I would question, but one of them involved a misspelling of the country Colombia as "Columbia." I know that this is an easy mistake to make, but it made me sad to see in print anyway.
February 6, 2023
Was a book passed onto me since I may have found the topic interesting and just as much on par as the Disclaimer in the beginning of the book.
Very Superstitious's author does make sure to tell the readers honestly in her Introduction that there just isn't room for an extensive look into each of the offered superstitions. This was one aspect that I must say I was happy to see since so many other authors who approach such subjects try to hoodwink the reader into thinking this is going to be a fallback guide even when the book's size usually witnesses others. But since she is trying to the keep the book as short as possible, Willow compromises on the information just to include what she thinks readers and/or herself may find more fascinating. As such it isn't totally confirmed that what we may find interesting would match up with what the author would think is interesting.
One thing that had me on the fence, though, is that outside of the disclaimer at the front of the book by the publisher, the author chose to include her own to soothe the Woke masses although fortunately this catering to the Woke crowd can only be found here. Otherwise her disclaimer reads as such: There is also a fine line between superstition and cultural tradition, for that reason, and to avoid offence or cultural appropriation, certain practices have been omitted. It must also be remembered that many superstitions in this day and age are outdated and offensive, and inclusion within this book does not equate to endorsement.
The rest of the book is dedicated to each superstition being given a two-page spread dedicated to it. The first page is dedicated to a full page and brightly colored illustration that portrays an aspect or a translation if you will of the superstition that is being offered. But what really caught my attention after a while was the fact that all of these illustrations were done in the style of tarot cards with the name of the card and the card number (in this case the number representing the numerical order of the superstition on that page) being flipped from a usual deck. Furthermore to help drive this view in was the inclusion of so many mystical and occult symbols in the details as well as the background of each illustration.
The following page was dedicated to the actual text with each having a bold paragraph to introduce it. There is no actual consistency for the introduction of these entries as some provide different variations of the superstition, some search what may cause that superstition such as clocks stopping is a common occurrence or even giving scenarios which you may have been a part of. The following paragraphs can also be quite a mixed bag with some entries exploring variations of the subject thus actually allowing readers to indirectly learn more than one hundred superstitions, how these traditions are translated in other countries (although again not an exhaustive source of participating countries and/or cultures), some history and very rarely actual origins as the book's title implies to these beliefs. Furthermore the author does also include some information on whether people are still believing and participating in some of these superstitious practices.
All in all it was a rather decent read although quite repetitive once you get past the differences of the tradition named since they all basically mirror each other including in consequences, how they can be averted and what they may or may mean.
Very Superstitious's author does make sure to tell the readers honestly in her Introduction that there just isn't room for an extensive look into each of the offered superstitions. This was one aspect that I must say I was happy to see since so many other authors who approach such subjects try to hoodwink the reader into thinking this is going to be a fallback guide even when the book's size usually witnesses others. But since she is trying to the keep the book as short as possible, Willow compromises on the information just to include what she thinks readers and/or herself may find more fascinating. As such it isn't totally confirmed that what we may find interesting would match up with what the author would think is interesting.
One thing that had me on the fence, though, is that outside of the disclaimer at the front of the book by the publisher, the author chose to include her own to soothe the Woke masses although fortunately this catering to the Woke crowd can only be found here. Otherwise her disclaimer reads as such: There is also a fine line between superstition and cultural tradition, for that reason, and to avoid offence or cultural appropriation, certain practices have been omitted. It must also be remembered that many superstitions in this day and age are outdated and offensive, and inclusion within this book does not equate to endorsement.
The rest of the book is dedicated to each superstition being given a two-page spread dedicated to it. The first page is dedicated to a full page and brightly colored illustration that portrays an aspect or a translation if you will of the superstition that is being offered. But what really caught my attention after a while was the fact that all of these illustrations were done in the style of tarot cards with the name of the card and the card number (in this case the number representing the numerical order of the superstition on that page) being flipped from a usual deck. Furthermore to help drive this view in was the inclusion of so many mystical and occult symbols in the details as well as the background of each illustration.
The following page was dedicated to the actual text with each having a bold paragraph to introduce it. There is no actual consistency for the introduction of these entries as some provide different variations of the superstition, some search what may cause that superstition such as clocks stopping is a common occurrence or even giving scenarios which you may have been a part of. The following paragraphs can also be quite a mixed bag with some entries exploring variations of the subject thus actually allowing readers to indirectly learn more than one hundred superstitions, how these traditions are translated in other countries (although again not an exhaustive source of participating countries and/or cultures), some history and very rarely actual origins as the book's title implies to these beliefs. Furthermore the author does also include some information on whether people are still believing and participating in some of these superstitious practices.
All in all it was a rather decent read although quite repetitive once you get past the differences of the tradition named since they all basically mirror each other including in consequences, how they can be averted and what they may or may mean.
November 16, 2025
This is more of a cute coffee table book, than a resource for learning anything. My biggest pet peeve with this book is that some of the examples of the origins of the superstitions are weirdly specific, but absolutely no source material is ever referenced. The town of La Harpe, Illinois is mentioned on the page about black cats. That’s pretty specific! But no source is listed. And sure, we all have Google, but if this person is an expert in folklore and wrote an entire book on superstitions, why is it light on the actual research? And finally, the original UK book title was “Magpies and Red Skies: the enchanting origins of 100 superstitions”. The U.S. book title is “Very Superstitious: the enchanting origins of 100 superstitions”??? We know what magpies are, I promise! It’s ok to have them in a book title. This may not have been the author‘s choice, but rather the publisher’s choice. However, it’s mildly insulting for a book written in 2022. The number of books being written about this and similar subjects without any source material being referenced is truly disappointing. If you’re not going to bring the receipts, then this is all opinion as far as I’m concerned. The only reason it gets two stars instead of one is that it is presented in a visually appealing format.
April 12, 2026
I picked this up mainly because of the cover and illustrations and honestly, they didn’t disappoint. The design is beautiful, and flipping through the pages feels like exploring a little collection of folklore and curiosities.
Content-wise, it starts off interesting. Learning the origins behind common superstitions is fun at first, especially when you recognize things you’ve heard or even practiced in real life.
However, halfway through, it started to feel repetitive. Many of the superstitions follow the same pattern something leads to bad luck, misfortune, or death and after a while, it loses that initial sense of surprise. It became more of a skim than a read for me toward the end.
That said, I still think it works well as a casual, pick-up-and-read book rather than something to go through in one sitting. It’s more enjoyable in small doses, where each superstition can stand on its own.
Overall, a visually charming and interesting concept, but not a book that kept me fully engaged all the way through.
Content-wise, it starts off interesting. Learning the origins behind common superstitions is fun at first, especially when you recognize things you’ve heard or even practiced in real life.
However, halfway through, it started to feel repetitive. Many of the superstitions follow the same pattern something leads to bad luck, misfortune, or death and after a while, it loses that initial sense of surprise. It became more of a skim than a read for me toward the end.
That said, I still think it works well as a casual, pick-up-and-read book rather than something to go through in one sitting. It’s more enjoyable in small doses, where each superstition can stand on its own.
Overall, a visually charming and interesting concept, but not a book that kept me fully engaged all the way through.
June 25, 2023
Not as academic as I was hoping for.
It's not exactly a study of superstitions and an exploration of the reasons behind them
It's more a bathroom book or cute time-filler for bedtimes or coffee tables. It's the sort of thing you pick up, flip to a page at random and spend a minute or two learning some trivia.
As far as that goes, it's a nice little book.
It's not exactly a study of superstitions and an exploration of the reasons behind them
It's more a bathroom book or cute time-filler for bedtimes or coffee tables. It's the sort of thing you pick up, flip to a page at random and spend a minute or two learning some trivia.
As far as that goes, it's a nice little book.
December 31, 2022
What a fun read to finish out the year on! I would have liked more detailed historical origin on some of the superstitions, but honestly, I just enjoyed the variety and seeing how the same occurrences meant different things in different places!
January 11, 2023
Officially nervous about everything: toads, lightning, cats, dog poo, spiders, getting a haircut, what to do with a tooth that has fallen out and now realize all cause DEATH!
February 22, 2023
Interesting information, although doesn't really answer many of the "whys" of the superstitions presented.
October 25, 2023
This was a fun, fast read on different superstitions throughout different cultures. However, the writing was not very compelling, as it was more of a list format than a reading format.
February 9, 2025
Loved the illustrations in this and tons of cool superstitions I’ve never heard of!
February 16, 2026
It was okay! The writing was more like reading a list than reading a book, and I think it would’ve been better as a “one a day” than an all at once book.
July 11, 2026
An interesting book for quick reads. I would’ve loved more in depth details, but I understand it’s for a surface level look.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews