Skip to main content
Swap Used Books - Buy New Books at Great Prices!
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History

The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History
The Dirt on Clean An Unsanitized History
Author: Katherine Ashenburg
For the first-century Roman, being clean meant a public two-hour soak in baths of various temperatures, a scraping of the body with a miniature rake, and a final application of oil. For the seventeenth-century aristocratic Frenchman, it meant changing his shirt once a day, using perfume to obliterate both his own aroma and everyone else?s, but n...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780676976649
ISBN-10: 0676976646
Publication Date: 10/28/2008
Pages: 384
Rating:
  ?

0 stars, based on 0 rating
Publisher: Vintage Canada
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 2
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
Read All 3 Book Reviews of "The Dirt on Clean An Unsanitized History"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

Tesstarosa avatar reviewed The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History on + 151 more book reviews
In the US today, most do not dream of leaving their homes unless they have first showered and perfumed their bodies. But this hasnt always been the case and its not necessarily because the bathing facilities arent available. Believe it or not, there was actually a time when water was to be avoided and that the best way to clean oneself was by wearing linen.

Ms Ashenburg takes us through the history of bathing from Roman times where is was a daily and social ritual to the Dark Ages when water was thought to cause ill-helath to the modern times where if you go out smelling like yourself you have finished your grooming.

A well written book with several side stories about washing methods and beliefs about cleanliness.
reviewed The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History on + 7 more book reviews
A good history on a subject not often examined on its own. Quite enjoyed the read.


Genres: