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This charming compilation of 40 of the best-loved traditional nursery rhymes offers clues as to their true meanings and often surprising origins.

Many of the catchy songs we grew up with were not nonsense verses for the playground but served as satirical commentaries on political events of the day. These seemingly innocent vehicles were once used to spread subversive messages at a time when illiteracy was commonplace in society and direct criticism of the authorities was punishable by prison or death.

Sing a Song of Sixpence, a Pocketful of Rye, Four and Twenty Blackbirds Baked in a Pie… Was this simply about a delicacy of the day? Or was it, as some claim, a coded message used to recruit members for Blackbeard’s pirate ships?

This humorously illustrated book offers a trip down memory lane and some fascinating food for thought for anyone interested in English history and language.

Swearing is an art form, and with this handy collection of obscenities you can be the Picasso of profanity. Bursting with obnoxious insults and filthy names for unmentionable acts, The Little Book of Rude Words will leave you shocked and tickled by how creatively crude our language can be.

Whether you want to impress your friends with your London lingo, or simply to understand what the characters on EastEnders are talking about, The Little Book of Cockney Rhyming Slang is packed with all the words you’ll ever need. It’ll be perfect when you’re on the dog and bone to your best china plates, or down the rub-a-dub with your trouble and strife.

Banter like a bowsered giflurt and swear like a sparrow-mouthed snick fadger with the help of this illustrated dictionary of long-lost words and phrases.

This crude and quirky volume contains the most amusing vocabulary from the murky Middle English of Chaucer right up to the more eloquent but equally obscure parlances of the early 1900s – essential for all lovers of weird and wonderful wordage!