Nonfiction
My “Superstitions” Book Is Out NOW!
What do weddings, Christmas celebrations, Thanksgiving dinners, and Halloween mischief have in common? They all involve rituals and customs that used to be (and in some cases still are) superstitious. Superstitions are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives, often in ways we don’t even realize. Why am I mentioning this? Because I wrote a nonfiction book that deals with that very subject. It’s called The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions, and it came out TODAY from Quarto Publishing Group’s Wellfleet Press imprint.
This book is available at bookstores everywhere, as well as HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE!
Hey, want to read two glowing reviews of The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions? Sure you do!
And here’s the official publisher description of the book:
The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions sheds light on the impact that superstitions have on our global society at large, world history, the pop culture we consume, the art we create, and even the way we think about marriage, death, prosperity, self-protection, and luck, to name a few. No matter where on Earth you live, superstitions have always been the infrastructure of societies since ancient times. They can be found in social rules of etiquette, in the vocabulary we communicate with, in rituals performed during holidays, in birthing rooms across time, at funerals, or just in our everyday habits. These mysterious practices provide an essential source of comfort, safety, and control. Even more fascinating is that they have been used since time immemorial to explain the unexplained. Unpack the lore and origins of cultural superstitions and how they have persisted throughout many generations.
Discover how:
- Celtic fairies are behind our compulsion to knock on wood
• Norse mythology is responsible for our fear of the number 13
• Taylor Swift finds the number 13 to be lucky
• A quick death in Japan is thought to be ensured if you cut your toenails at night
• The evil eye is an important talisman in Jewish and Muslim cultures
• The meaning behind your birthstone can predict your personality
• Rabbits hold significance in some Asian and Indigenous cultures
• Finding a husband in Nebraska is as simple as 99 horses, a white mule, and a handshake
• Eating twelve grapes on New Year’s Eve in Spain and Central and South America can bring forth prosperity
Beautiful illustrations further challenge the images your mind may have already held about the beliefs you instinctively carry throughout your life. You will be continually surprised and delighted by how superstitions not only define the bedrock of a culture but also demonstrate the nuanced ways in which we are all connected.
Unlock a world of wonders in The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions.
The Wonderpedia series offers comprehensive, display-worthy illustrated references on a range of intriguing topics, including archeological discoveries, world mythology, pop culture, global superstitions, and the fascinating stories behind signs and symbols. A cross-cultural exploration of what makes humans tick, this series magnifies the connective threads between us across time and geography and demystifies the surprising, confounding sides of life.
A Superstitiously Huge Barnes & Noble Member Sale!
A huge sale for Barnes & Noble members is going on right now! And it involves me, so if you love me (or if you like me just a little bit), pay attention to this next part: Through July 11th, if you pre-order my book, The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions, on the Barnes & Noble site, Rewards Members get 25% off! Premium Members get an additional 10% off! What are you waiting for?
BTW, if you’re getting déjà vu from reading this blog post, that’s because I posted all of this info on social media yesterday, but I figured it’d be a good idea to mention it here on my website as well.
And no, I don’t know what the phrase “superstitiously huge” means. So huge that it triggers superstitious beliefs or rituals, maybe? So huge that you’ll throw salt over your shoulder and look for four-leaf clovers? I don’t know. I just made up that (admittedly awkward-sounding) phrase because I needed a title for this blog post. And I didn’t have enough time to think of a better title. Was I wrong to make up such a nonsensical phrase? Not necessarily. Sometimes I just make up phrases. Or words. Which is perfectly justified. After all, to quote the MCU version of Thor, all words are made up.
Rave Reviews Of My “Superstitions” Book!
As I mentioned in a recent blog post, I wrote a book called The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions. It’ll be published by Quarto on July 15th, 2025. But in the meantime, the first two reviews of the book just came out!
First, there’s a glowing write up of The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions over at Foreword Reviews. Here’s an excerpt:
“A delightful mix of education and entertainment, The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions is a spirited salute to humanity’s quirks—proof that even our silliest beliefs have something to say.”
You can see the whole Foreword Reviews write-up HERE.
And the second write-up comes from Publishers Weekly. It’s also a rave review! Here’s an excerpt:
“Written in an appealingly chatty style, this packs an impressive amount of research into an entertaining package.”
Click HERE to read the whole PW review.
And just in case you don’t have a subscription to Publishers Weekly and therefore cannot read the PW review via the link above, here it is in its entirety:
The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions: Ancient and Remarkable Traditions That Will Captivate Your Mind
Arie Kaplan. Wellfleet, $19.99 trade paper (256p) ISBN 978-1-57715-462-4
Comedian Kaplan (The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends) wryly and informatively catalogs superstitious beliefs across history, spotlighting the many that are still prevalent in the modern world. According to Kaplan, “superstitions are more deeply enmeshed in contemporary life than you might think.” He notes that certain common practices are actually superstitious at their core, from traditions like throwing a bouquet at a wedding to everyday etiquette like how to speak to a baby (in much of Asia and Eastern Europe, one should never call a baby “cute,” as it might provoke the evil eye). Arguing that the contemporary conception of “superstition” as based on “ignorance, fear…. or a false conception of causation” is “a little judgmental,” he looks instead for the logic behind superstitious beliefs, ranging from the origins of the taboo against opening an umbrella indoors (likely handed down by the ancient Egyptians, who used umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun and had reasonable concerns about doing things that might offend the sun god) to the explanation for the nearly universal belief (documented in Asia, Native America, and early modern Europe) that pointing at a rainbow will bring bad luck (probably just an easy way to teach kids the good manners of not pointing at things). Written in an appealingly chatty style, this packs an impressive amount of research into an entertaining package. (July)
Oh, and one more thing: you can preorder The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions HERE, HERE, and HERE.