The A-Z of Curious Wales

Wales' history is packed with peculiar customs and curious characters. Here you will discover alien landscapes, ancient druids and a Victorian ghost hunter. Find out why revellers would carry a decorated horse's skull on a pole door to door at Christmastime, how an eccentric inventor hoped to defeat Hitler with his futuristic ray gun, and why a cursed wall is protected by a global corporation for fear it might destroy a town. From the folklore surrounding the red dragon on the flag, to the evolution of the song 'Sosban Fach', this compendium of weird and wonderful facts will surprise and delight even the most knowledgeable resident or visitor.

MARK REES is the arts writer for Wales' largest selling newspaper, the South Wales Evening Post and also writes for several leading magazines and weekly titles, including Swansea Life. Outside of print, he is a member of the Wales Theatre Awards judging panel, hosts a monthly arts show on local radio, has presented three documentaries on Welsh culture and, as a fluent Welsh language speaker, plays an active role at the National Eisteddfod. He lives in Port Talbot.