Today the phrase, Good as Gold, usually refers to a person or child being well-behaved and obedient.

The phrase comes from the time when banknotes were first introduced. They weren’t considered to be money in the sense we now think of them but were instead promissory notes or IOUs.

Gold or silver was real money as it had intrinsic value, whereas notes were just promises to pay in coin. UK banknotes, like those of many other countries, still include messages such as this, signed by the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England: ‘I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of ten pounds’.

VINEGAR OF THE FOUR THIEVES: Recipes & curious tips from the past

• Have you heard excessive brain labor causes baldness or the cure for wrinkles is a tepid bath in bran?
• Do you want to know Thomas Jefferson’s recipe for Vinegar of the Four Thieves or how to make Ox Tail Soup?
• Have you ever had ‘blueberry pickles’, ‘batallia pie’ or ‘snow birds’? You will learn all this and more in “Vinegar of the Four Thieves.”

Our ancestors had to be resilient when they faced obstacles in daily life, from dealing with pests, medical emergencies, caring for clothing and cleaning shortcuts. Almost everything they used in daily life was homemade. Some ideas were great but some were very strange.

This book is a collection of household tips, medical cures, clothing care and old recipes from the 1800’s and 1900’s. Many of the tips, such as the household cleaners, cooking tips and ways to control pests, still work and are helpful in today’s ‘green’ environment while others such as ‘how to cure a dog of eating eggs’ will make you laugh. Either way, this book will help you appreciate the difficult life your grandparents endured. With Bonus: First two chapters of novel Ribbon of Love