Seven - a magic number

Can any of us really claim to be free of superstitious beliefs, for example the 'seven years' bad luck' that are supposed to follow when you break a mirror? If you start looking out for the number seven, you'll soon notice it turning up in a wide range of contexts: the Seven Deadly Sins, the seven first steps of the newborn Buddha, but also the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and of course the seven spikes in the crown of New York's Statue of Liberty. So is there perhaps a connection between all the countless facts and legends associated with the number seven?

Reinhard Schlüter follows the trail of this number through superstition, fairytales, mythology and various world religions, all the way to psychology and chemistry. The result is an intriguing, informative and entertaining voyage of discovery spanning different eras and cultures.