13 The World's Most Popular Superstition

Unlucky 13 is the world's most universal superstition. Why? Nathaniel Lachemeyer reveals its origins, and also the myths surrounding them. When did unlucky Friday the 13th emerge and why? (Hint: The answer can be found in an obscure 1970 novel by a Boston businessman.) What was the original name for the film Friday the 13th? (It had nothing to do with the number.) Which is the Thirteen Club and why did it take London and New York by storm? Who out of Edgar Allan Poe, Woodrow Wilson, Oscar Wilde, Victor Hugo and Adolph Hitler had a deep-rooted phobia of 13? And who was particularly fond of the number? What is the future of this odd superstition? This is an enormously lively and intriguing book and one that is surprisingly revealing about the irrationality of so much of human behaviour.