Toksvig's Almanac 2021: An Eclectic Meander Through the Historical Year by Sandi Toksvig

Description

'Fierce, funny and long overdue - I read this book out loud to anyone who'd listen.' Adam Kay 'Toksvig's Almanac is intended merely as a starting point for your own discoveries. Find a fabulous (or infamous) woman mentioned and, please, go looking for more of her story. The names mentioned are merely temptations. Amuse-bouches for the mind, if you like. How I would have loved to have written out in detail each tale there is to be told, but then this book would have been too heavy to lift.' Let Sandi Toksvig guide you on an eclectic meander through the calendar, illuminating neglected corners of history to tell tales of the fascinating figures you didn't learn about at school. From revolutionary women to serial killers, pirate nuns to pioneering civil rights activists, doctors to dancing girls, artists to astronauts, these pages commemorate women from all around the world who were pushed to the margins of historical record. Amuse your bouche with: Belle Star, American Bandit Queen Lady Murasaki, author of the world's first novel Madame Ching, the most successful pirate of all time Maud Wagner, the first female tattoo artist Begum Samru, Indian dancer and ruler who led an army of mercenaries Ines de Castro, crowned Queen Consort of Portugal six years after her death Ida B. Wells, activist, suffragist, journalist and co-founder of the NAACP Eleanor G. Holm, disqualified from the 1936 Berlin Olympics for drinking too much champagne These stories are interspersed with helpful tips for the year, such as the month in which one is most likely to be eaten by a wolf, and the best time to sharpen your sickle. Explore a host of annual events worth travelling for, from the Olney Pancake Race in Wiltshire to the Danish Herring Festival, or who would want to miss Serbia's World Testicle Cooking Championship? As witty and entertaining as it is instructive, Toksvig's Almanac is an essential companion to each day of the year.

Sandi Toksvig OBE, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and brought up around the world in Europe, Africa and the United States. She is well known to UK audiences as a broadcaster and is currently the host of BBC2's hugely popular quiz show QI. Sandi worked on three delightful series of GBBO before stepping down in early 2020 to make more time for her other projects. Much of Sandi's time is devoted to writing and in 2019 she became president of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain. Sandi has written more than twenty fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults. Sandi is an activist for gender equality. In 2015 she co-founded the Women's Equality Party.

Toksvig's Almanac is a diary of fascinating, obscure and extraordinary facts, ideal for browsing throughout the year * COUNTRY & TOWN HOUSE magazine *