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"Remarkable….Ekirch has emptied night's pockets, and laid the contents out before us."—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker
Bringing light to the shadows of history through a "rich weave of citation and archival evidence" (Publishers Weekly), scholar A. Roger Ekirch illuminates the aspects of life most often overlooked by other historians—those that unfold at night. In this "triumph of social history" (Mail on Sunday), Ekirch's "enthralling anthropology" (Harper's) exposes the nightlife that spawned a distinct culture and a refuge from daily life.
Fear of crime, of fire, and of the supernatural; the importance of moonlight; the increased incidence of sickness and death at night; evening gatherings to spin wool and stories; masqued balls; inns, taverns, and brothels; the strategies of thieves, assassins, and conspirators; the protective uses of incantations, meditations, and prayers; the nature of our predecessors' sleep and dreams—Ekirch reveals all these and more in his "monumental study" (The Nation) of sociocultural history, "maintaining throughout an infectious sense of wonder" (Booklist).
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Angelos Metaxas
reviewed At Day's Close: Night in Times Past on January 22, 2014
At Day's Close
In these days of electricity, neon and light pollution, it's hard to imagine just how DARK it must have been in times before artificial illumination. At set of sun, darkness descended, and superstition and worry ran rampant. Fearing robbers and murderers, doors were barred, prayers were said, and a fretful sleep was had until dawn lit the skies once again.
Adriaen Brouwer, Dune Landscape by Moonlight
But not everyone stayed indoors. While gathering gloom inspired fear in some, others finally felt free from society's constraints - "...the darkness of night loosened the tethers of the visible world." The onset of night encouraged drinking, card playing and other activities frowned upon by clergy. There were many recorded cases of people stumbling about in the dark, tumbling into ditches, ravines and rivers...though alcohol frequently played as much a part in their missteps as lack of light. For others, nightfall meant an end to the day's labor and "a welcome truce from daily toil."
William Hogarth, Night
Ekirch provides information on just about everything associated with night through history, from bedding to sleep habits to man's earlier efforts to create light. Some chapters dragged and seemed a bit repetitious, but on the whole, this is a fascinating look at all aspects of nocturnal human behavior.
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Add At Day's Close: Night in Times Past, Remarkable….Ekirch has emptied night's pockets, and laid the contents out before us.—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker Bringing light to the shadows of history through a rich weave of citation and archival evidence (Publishers Weekly), s, At Day's Close: Night in Times Past to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add At Day's Close: Night in Times Past, Remarkable….Ekirch has emptied night's pockets, and laid the contents out before us.—Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker Bringing light to the shadows of history through a rich weave of citation and archival evidence (Publishers Weekly), s, At Day's Close: Night in Times Past to your collection on WonderClub |
