Do Blue Bedsheets Bring Babies?: The Truth Behind Old Wives' Tales [Paperback]

Thomas Craughwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2006

Thomas Craughwell has spent a large portion of his life in the thrall of folklore and apocrypha. Taking a natural step from his urban legend expertise, he examines the "common wisdom" that moms everywhere pass along as truth to see if it is valid or if it should be ignored. Citing legitimate studies and scientific research, Craughwell identifies the useful and helpful, and offers enlightening theories on why these myths emerged in the first place–and where they went right or wrong. In many cases, you'll find the old wives were right on the money, even if their reasoning was half-baked.

Whimsically illustrated throughout, this entertaining and educational guide allows you to make informed decisions, whether it is slurping chicken soup to help a cold (it works), waiting for an hour after eating before swimming (not necessary), believing that a dog's tongue is cleaner than a human's (not true, yuck), or walking under a ladder (dangerous).


Mom always said...
1. Big feet—big "down below."
2. A woman carrying her baby high will have a girl.
3. Chicken soup helps you get over a cold.

Craughwell's verdict...
1. False. Guys with double-digit shoe sizes should stop bragging.
2. False. Knit a pair of blue booties, too, just in case....
3. True. Jewish grandmothers were right all along.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

THOMAS CRAUGHWELL is a book reviewer and author of collections of urban legends including Alligators in the Sewer, The Baby on the Car Roof, and The Cat in the Dryer. He lives in Bethel, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767921887
• ISBN-13: 978-0767921886
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,267,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After four years in a doctoral program studying medieval English literature, three years as a copywriter for Book-of-the-Month Club, and one year as a marketing director for a pricey, upscale travel company, I went into business for myself as a full-time writer in 1992. (Yeah. I can't believe the business has stayed afloat this long either).
As a writer, I really don't specialize; my resume is all over the map. I developed the concept and wrote the script for History Book Club's first television commercial. I've written direct mail for Time-Life Books, TV Guide, The Reader's Digest, Hilton Hotels, and the American Banking Association. I wrote the original Barnes & Noble web site; a series of online e-learning business, finance, and banking courses for the New York Institute of Finance; and a special "History of the Paperback" web site to celebrate Quality Paperback Book Club's 25th anniversary. My 50 States Fandex cards (Workman Publishing, 1998) have sold 700,000 copies (!). And I've published articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines--from The Wall Street Journal to Emmy magazine to the national Catholic news weekly Our Sunday Visitor.
My first book, Every Eye Beholds You: A World Treasury of Prayer (Harcourt Brace, 1999), was a Main Selection of both Book-of-the-Month Club and Quality Paperback Book Club. My book on patron saints, Saints for Every Occasion (Stampley Enterprises, 2001) has been translated into Spanish, Italian, and Polish.
I'm not a professional talking head, but I've been invited to discuss saints, the canonization process, and Catholic history on CNN, EWTN, Ave Maria Radio; and urban legends on the BBC, The Discovery Channel, Inside Edition, and approximately 75 radio stations.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proving We've Been Lied to All These Years, March 31, 2006

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Do Blue Bedsheets Bring Babies?: The Truth Behind Old Wives' Tales (Paperback)

This is an excellent little reference book on high quality paper, excellently laid out that proves a substantial number of old wives tales are pure fiction. It also verifies a significantly smaller number although you would obviously have worked most of these true ones out as they are just common sense such as It's Unhealthy to Hold Back a Sneeze and Listening to Loud Music Causes Deafness.

Again a lot of the wives tales proven to be false and this you would have already worked out through common sense but there are a few proven false that are surprising such as Reading in Dim Light Will Dim Your Eyes, Wet Hair Will Increase Your Chance of a Catching a Cold. As again is the case with tales proven true such as baby snakes are more poisonous than adults.

This book is also good for proving to those, and everyone comes across these people, work colleagues, friends or relatives who insist something is fact which common sense says is not true. With this book you can prove as the book proves through its own evidence that the ridiculous old wives tale is not true, such as Water Goes Down the Drain in Difference Directions Depending on Which Hemisphere Your In (probably because Lisa on the Simpsons said it was so, so therefore to them it has to be) and Swimmers Should Wait an Hour After Eating Before Going Into the Water.

Old Wives Tales is an excellent little book to have on hand to educate yourself and others.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars blue bedsheets, February 24, 2009

By 

Autumn L. White (upstate New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Do Blue Bedsheets Bring Babies?: The Truth Behind Old Wives' Tales (Paperback)

The book is in good shape overall; there are some highlighted passages and a name written inside the front cover, but that was mentioned in the description when I ordered it.