Books

Is It True?
By Max Cryer

In this revealing book, Auckland based writer Max Cryer uncovers the truth or otherwise of facts and beliefs we may have always been told are true, but which on closer examination may not be. In a wide-ranging book encompassing social history, language, music, politics, food, sport, the natural world and much more, this book explores the truth behind some of our most cherished beliefs.
For example:
Do St Bernard dogs really carry brandy?
Does Santa Claus come from the North Pole?
Did Winston Churchill coin the term “Iron Curtain”?
“OK” is an American expression, right?
Tulips come from Holland, don’t they?
Did Sarah Palin say “I can see Russia from my house”?
Did Alexander Graham Bell invent the telephone?
Lady Godiva rode naked through Coventry – didn’t she?
About the Author:
Max Cryer has many years’ experience of researching and writing on aspects of language and social history. In a long career, he has been a schoolteacher, a compere and television host, as well as a performer on the opera stage in London and in cabaret in Las Vegas and Hollywood. A well-known broadcaster and entertainer in NZ, he hosts a weekly radio show on the English language and is now a full time writer in Auckland. He has written many books, including Who Said That First?, Love Me Tender, The Godzone Dictionary, Curious English Words and Phrases, Preposterous Proverbs and Every Dog Has Its Day.