13: The Story of the World's Most Notorious Superstition

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Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated, 2005 - Social Science - 212 pages
Triskaidekaphobia: fear of the number 13

If thirteen people sit down at a table, will one die within a year? Why did five U.S. presidents join the Thirteen Club? What is the only major New York hotel that has a thirteenth floor?

In 13, a fascinating cultural history-cum-detective story, Nathaniel Lachenmeyer gets to the root of how one superstition—the fear of the number 13—developed among wildly divergent societies. A book about mythmaking, 13 explores why people believe what they believe, and the real reason Friday the 13th is the most unlucky day in the world.

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Contents

The Origins of Unlucky 13
35
The Rise of 13
45
The Sin of 13
73
Copyright

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About the author (2005)

Nathaniel Lachenmeyer is the author of the award-winning The Outsider: A Journey into My Father’s Struggle with Madnessas well as several children’s books.

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