Woman's Lore

[A] remarkable work… Extraordinary, meticulous detail * Literary Review *A rewarding and profound study * Literary Review *A delightful romp through four thousand years’ worth of sinister superstition, offering an empathetic interpretation of these supernatural creatures, so-called monsters, with a particular focus on women’s experiences of them. Sarah Clegg provides thought-provoking insights into a range of beliefs and practices so often overlooked by mainstream history. * Jane Draycott *Woman’s Lore is a fascinating exploration of the mythology and trope of the ‘demonic woman’ that has existed for centuries and persists even today. Thoughtfully researched, it is an empowering and enlightening read. * Catherine Cho *Deftly fuses scholarly rigour, control of literary and archaeological sources, an accessible, entertaining style, wonderful illustrations and a warm-hearted sympathy with women’s plight across the centuries * BBC History Magazine *Well-written and engaging…. This combination of the classics and women’s lib makes it an enlightening read * The Lady *

Sarah Clegg has a PhD in the ancient history of Mesopotamia from Cambridge University, and reads Sumerian, Akkadian, Arabic, Greek and Latin. Her fascination with Lamashtu began with her BA thesis at Oxford and she has been researching these monsters and their demonic tradition as a passion project ever since. Clegg was selected as one of the 2020⁄21 cohort of The London Library Emerging Writers Programme. She lives in London and works in heritage publishing.