It’s Friday the 13th, and what better time to mention that I wrote a book about superstitions! The book is called The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions, and it will be published by Quarto on July 15, 2025.

In this book, I examine various superstitions, such as the idea that opening an umbrella indoors is bad luck or the belief that throwing salt over one’s shoulder is good luck. Where did these superstitions originally come from? Why do people believe in them? What rituals, gestures, phrases, talismans, and/or images are associated with these superstitions? This book answers all of those questions. And it also examines common, everyday rituals – like putting candles on a birthday cake or throwing confetti at a wedding – that aren’t thought of as superstitions today, but began as superstitions centuries ago.

Also, in The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions, I look at superstitions from various cultures all over the world, as opposed to many other books on the subject, which have a decidedly Eurocentric bent.

Know what else I do in this book? At various points throughout the text, I explore the impact some superstitions have had on pop culture. For instance, how do the Star Wars films deal with the concept of good luck talismans? Do Marvel’s Infinity Stones have anything to do with the concept of birthstones? And what do vampire movies borrow from vampire superstitions?

The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions is the third book in Quarto’s Wonderpedia series. (The second book in that series was The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends, which was also penned by yours truly.)

You can preorder The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions HERE, HERE, and HERE.

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.