Laughing Buddha, Waving Cat: 101 charms and beliefs to turbo-charge your luck

#6 Amazon best-seller: Curiosities and wonders

How many times a week do people say ‘good luck’ to you? Probably more than a few.

We might consider ourselves much more sophisticated than the ancient civilisations that practically revolved around lucky charms, but they are still all around us. We bless sneezes, we throw spilt salt over our shoulders, keep statues of St Christopher in our cars, and often have horseshoes in our homes.

One modern building in Hong Kong even has an enormous hole in its side for good fortune. Why? Read on. Each of the 101 lucky charms listed here has a real slice of history behind it, with many symbols and traditions dating back thousands of years.

And with all those good-luck signs on your e-reader, it may even bring you some luck, too. Well fingers crossed (oh, and we’ll explain what that strange saying is all about too).

A SNEAK PEEK INSIDE:

“Albatross: Sailors have long considered the albatross good luck, probably because the sight of one suggested they were near land. Unfortunately for superstitious seafarers, the giant bird can last for years at sea. Its fame was cemented by a Coleridge poem about a foolish young sailor who shot one and was forced by shipmates to wear it round his neck – hence the bad-luck phrase “albatross around the neck.”

LATEST AMAZON REVIEWS:

“Bought on a whim, this very inexpensive ebook turns out to be packed with beautiful photographs and pithy, witty explanations of every lucky charm from the albatross to the yin-yang. I can’t believe how much interesting information I’ve picked up already, and I definitely feel lucky to own it.” 5★

“This is a delightful collection of blessings, some sincere and sweet, some weird, others funny. A terrific bedside book and (blush) bathroom book, since you can read it a few blessings at a time.” 5★

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