Lost Lore: A Celebration of Traditional Wisdom From Foraging and Festivals to Seafaring and Smoke Signals

by Una McGovern, Paul Jenner

Lost Lore is a celebration of the time-honored wisdom upon which we all once relied. It draws on folklore, tradition and superstition, and is packed with amusing anecdotes and historical extracts which illuminate the beliefs and knowledge of our ancestors. It brings to life the wisdom and practical skills that helped generation after generation, only becoming lost with the advent of mechanization and the technological age. Following in the footsteps of Lost Crafts, Lost Lore is a beautiful book that will once more immerse you in the pleasures of the past.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, Sustainability

376 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting, I bought it on a whim. A few interesting parts in it around the foraging and making things from nature and also around superstitions and traditions they're where really good parts but I found myself skipping large parts that simply did not pique my interest.

[Helen White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice effort but nowhere near enough detail. Ranging from herbal tea and cures for headaches to how to build a shelter and marriage traditions. You only get a paragraph about each topic. Also not enough illustrations - how can you identify trees without illustrations of them?

[hannah ! · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute but lacked depth other than a brief description.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this book. I am not interested in every section, but many of them are very cool. I started reading this to try to increase my post-apocalypse readiness score. It is OK for that but not entirely as practical as many other books. I am just a dilettante though and don’t want to have to learn too much about any ONE subject.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contrary to what you might expect from its girth and the description, this book is merely a coffee table volume. The information is light and brief and superficial, printed on extremely heavy, magazine or art-book type stock. You won't find any meaningful advice on foraging, herbal remedies, or semaphore here, sorry.

[Oriana]

Well this sounds fun & cool.

And here is an interview with the author, via Powell's.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I think that it is a fun book, perhaps something to be part of a bathroom library. Sadly, it did not go much into how to do many of the things that the book talks about, which is what I thought I would be getting.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe it's not better!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book, but I knew much of the information already. Great for someone who is new to lore.