{"product_id":"the-man-who-ate-bluebottles-catherine-caufield-9781840466973","title":"The Man Who Ate Bluebottles: And Other Great British Eccentrics","description":"\u003cp\u003eUntil he ate a bluebottle, William Buckland had always maintained that the taste of mole was the most repulsive he knew. But that was before he ate the embalmed heart of Louis XVI. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLord Monboddo believed that babies are born with tails, and was a careful observer at the births of his own children - but in each case the midwife outwitted him and managed to destroy the evidence. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Comtesse de Noailles was a keen believer in the benefits of fresh air and methane gas, keeping cows tethered near her open windows so that she could enjoy both ... \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThese are just a few of the eccentrics who enliven the pages of this delightful survey of British loopiness through the ages, a celebration of true originals whose strength of character stands out now more than ever in our age of mass-market conformity. As John Stuart Mill warned as long ago as the 1850s: 'That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of the time.' \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCatherine Caufield's classic book is an immensely browsable compendium of inspired and inspiring lunacy, beautifully illustrated by Peter Till.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Catherine Caufield\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1840466979\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781840466973\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Icon Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2005\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Catherine Caufield","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48442598424831,"sku":"9781840466973","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_c1810969-e969-4310-bf51-fda20258355f.jpg?v=1777198473","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-man-who-ate-bluebottles-catherine-caufield-9781840466973","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}