The Good Luck Book [Paperback]

Stefan Bechtel (Author), Laurence R. Stains (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 1997

A lucky charm you can read, The Good Luck Book is a delightfully uplifting collection of quotes, stories, anecdotes, parables, tips, customs, rumors, and facts about good luck and how to get it. There's "Why We Knock on Wood," from our pagan tree-worshipping days. The 52 luckiest days of the year. What to do to bring good luck to a new house. Why horseshoes, rabbits' feet, four-leaf clovers, and whisbones are lucky. Seven time-honored ways to improve your luck, and six common anecdotes to bad luck. Plus, how to change your luck at the card table, charms and rituals used in love, and why people rub other, lucky people for good luck.

Sharing some of the finest, funniest, and truest things ever said about luck, this book inspires even the unluckiest person to persevere. 84,000 copies in print.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite its title, this rambling, good-natured assemblage of snippets about luck deals with bad as well as good fortune. But the book does address why we knock on wood (a tribute to the spirits in trees), why horseshoes are so esteemed (their crescent shape resembles that of the new moon, a symbol of the female life-creating force) and why the ladybug is a good omen (it was sacred to the Norse goddess of love and beauty), among numerous superstitions. Oddly, however, Bechtel and Stains never touch on such racy, contemporary theories, such as why the reason three is said to be a lucky number (according to some psychologists, for the number of external male genitals). Scattered throughout are apparently random quotations from such diverse luminaries as Pliny the Elder, St. Augustine and Merv Griffin. Though the book may disappoint some, most readers will at least rejoice in the authors' good luck in getting R.O. Blechman to draw the entertaining illustrations. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

NEED A LITTLE EXTRA LUCK?

Sprinkle nutmeg on your lottery tickets. Put some money in the pockets of a new suit before wearing it. Carry a Virginia fairy cross, like Charles "Lucky" Lindbergh. Walk up a flight of stairs backwards. Eat sauerkraut on New Year's Day. And if you accidentally put an article of clothing on wrong side out, wear it that way all day long. Good luck!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (January 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761105417
• ISBN-13: 978-0761105411
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 3.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #698,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology > Folklore
  • #38 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Fairy Tales
  • #97 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Folklore & Mythology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "charm"-ing book, January 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Good Luck Book (Paperback)

A lovely little book filled with occasionally funny, occasionally sweet, always fascinating tidbits of folklore. Each story or one-liner about various methods of finding good luck is insight into another time or culture. A light-hearted collection of good luck charms from around the world. Everyone can use a little luck, and this book gives you plenty of options for finding what works for you -- or at least making you smile.

4.0 out of 5 stars Who does not need good luck?, July 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Good Luck Book (Paperback)

This book is charming and easy to read. Superstitious? Yes, but who does not need a little bit of good luck living in a society today? It is humorous and will be great for party conversation.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I wouldn't bother., February 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Good Luck Book (Paperback)

400 small pages of mostly tediously boring one-liners, punchlines and other filler. No analysis of how luck works, or the science of probability. Ideal gift for someone you don't want to give a gift to.