A Dictionary of Saints Days, Fasts, Feasts and Festivals by Colin Waters (Countryside Books, £7.95)

BRITAIN is a country in which history can be found around every corner.

It is hardly possible to travel very far without encountering myth, legend or incontrovertible fact.

And that applies to customs, too.

Have you ever wondered about the significance of Saints' Days, Quarter Days and other holy days that appear on old documents and accounts, or of the dates on which they took place? You are not alone.

Following many years of research, Colin Waters has compiled a convenient reference book that explains the importance of many special days and annual customs and sets them briefly in their historic, religious or social context.

With this easy-to-use guide, the reader can discover the importance of Carling Monday, the curious customs associated with Dippy Day in Cornwall, or Bogman Race Day in Suffolk.

There are also notes that distinguish the difference between St Edmund the Archbishop and St Edmund the King and Martyr, why St Elmo is the patron saint of sailors and on the identity of St Pancras.

The entries, numbering almost 1,500, cover the period from Roman times to the present day and are set out alphabetically and in calendar form.

John Phillpott