Love

A Curious History in 50 Objects

New Hardback Illustrated

Postscript summary

Throughout history and across cultures, humans’ need for love has been reflected in the artefacts they have created, from prehistoric figurines to the dating app. This collection illuminates its many facets – romance, in monuments such as the Taj Mahal; marriage, in Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait; and eroticism in paintings from Pompeii, Casanova’s memoir and Rodin’s The Kiss – and topics such as medieval manuscripts, including the allegorical epic The Romance of the Rose with its Tower of Jealousy.

Product information

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Year: 2023
Format: Hardback
Pages: 256pp
Illustrated: Yes
Dimensions: 251x196mm
Condition: New
Weight: 1kg
ISBN: 9781398522718
Product code: 545662

Full publisher description

'Edward Brooke-Hitching's delightful book is a collection of curiosities. From a 19th-century lonely hearts ad to a nuptial blessing of the bride's buttocks, an entertaining history of love over the millennia that proves when it comes to the heart, little has changed.' Daily Mail

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From the author of the critically acclaimed The Phantom Atlas and The Madman's Library (Sunday Times Literature Book of the Year) comes a magnificent new illustrated work. From prehistoric carvings and ancient Egyptian statues, to medieval spell books and Victorian code-writing, this unique collection gathers a wealth of curious objects and surprising stories to trace the story of love through the ages.

Discover the royal marriage that crossed the boundary of death in 14th-century Portugal, the judicial duels between husbands and wives in Early Modern Europe, the love spells found in medieval manuscripts, and the romantic codes hidden in some of art's greatest masterpieces. Meet the feared ancient Greek army regiment comprised entirely of male couples; the French pirate queen avenging her murdered husband; the first woman to sail around the world; and the quack sexologist who conned 18th-century London with his musical mechanical bed. Here are ancient gods, mythical monsters, the Elizabethan portraits of smiling men on fire and the erotic paintings hidden beneath the ash of Pompeii, as well as Nigerian wedding chains, Welsh love spoons, cryptic postcards and the centuries-old cartographic tradition of mapping the heart.

A curiosity cabinet of romantic treasure, Love: A Curious History in 50 Objects draws on a wide range of sources to form a collection perfect for fans of beautiful illustrated works and curious history, while also forming the ideal romantic gift.

'In his new book, Edward Brooke-Hitching sets out to explore this mysterious emotion. Throughout this lusciously produced volume, he dissects a range of weird and wonderful objects that illustrate the diverse ways by which humans have expressed their loves and lusts.'
BBC History Magazine

'A glorious cornucopia of a book, celebrating love from the hilarious to the divine - as always, Brooke-Hitching's encyclopaedic knowledge shines through.' Fern Riddell, author Sex: Lessons From History

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