Collection of Proverbs of all nations on Bread and Baking

J. H. Macadam

To sit at the table with honour, to break bread, to rise from the table with honesty: to bring good news,to take away better news. May God grant us this!

Bread is one of man's greatest discoveries. It is his basic food.  But bread is not only food. It is one of the most omnipresent symbols in the ethnology, cultures and religions. Bread is the symbol of hope, of honest toil, and of general wealth and well-being.  Rituals involving bread follow man through life, from his birth to his death. It is mentioned not only in many toasts, sayings, games and oaths but also in curses and imprecations.

In that context, the book of Scottish author J H Macadam A Collection of Proverbs of all Nations on Bread and Baking is a unique publication in the world. It was first published as back as 1924 and now, eight decades later it will again appear before curious readers. This book is a result of the author's patient work and undoubtedly the world's best collection of proverbs on bread and baking published so far.

It is my great pleasure to be editor-in-chief of such a valuable and unjustly forgotten publication.