Albert Jack is a writer and historian. His first book, Red Herrings and White Elephants, explored the origins of well-known phrases. An international bestseller, it was serialised by the Sunday Times for over a year. He followed up this success with a series of bestsellers including Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep and Pop Goes the Weasel, a book exploring the dark histories and little-known meanings behind nursery rhymes. His latest book is It’s A Wonderful Word.
Fascinated by discovering the truth behind the world greatest stories, Albert has become an expert in explaining the unexplained. He is now a veteran of hundreds of live television shows and thousands of radio appearances worldwide. He divides his time between Guildford and Cape Town.
From the wireless to the computer, and from hula hoops to interplanetary travel, inventions and discoveries have changed our lifestyles in ways that would have astounded our ancestors. Each of them was originally developed by visionaries who dreamt of the seemingly impossible, but who were opposed by an array of experts publicly declaring that ‘It cannot be done.’
Where is the last chance saloon? Who were Gordon Bennett and Smart Aleck? Why do we have a hunch, get the cold shoulder, laugh like a drain, or get dressed up to the nines? We use these phrases every day and yet have little or no idea where most of them come from. Here Albert Jack takes us on a fascinating journey through the curious and often bizarre origins of hundreds of our favourite words and expressions.