From our earliest years we have heard proverbs, and many of them are
repeated without much thought. Yes, 'birds of a feather flock together'
and 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', but these sayings are so
familiar that we are scarcely aware they are proverbs. It has been so
for thousands of years, in every culture. It is only when someone like
Max Cryer takes the time to look at them that we can see how these
'pearls of wisdom' have played such a key role in the moral guidance of
every society. Sometimes the wisdom is distinctly odd, sometimes it has
become outdated, and sometimes it is simply contradictory. After all, do
'many hands make light work' or do 'too many cooks spoil the broth'? You
can't really have it both ways. Max Cryer has chosen some of the most
interesting and perplexing, and with his characteristic wry wit he
analyses their meaning and truth. "A quirky, fascinating delve into the
human psyche over millennia that has resulted in ... gems." -Northern
Advocate