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A Cultural History of Beauty

Volumes 1-6

A Cultural History of Beauty cover

A Cultural History of Beauty

Volumes 1-6

Quantity
Pre-order. Available Jan 22 2026
$550.00

Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available

Description

What do we mean when we talk about human beauty? How have shifting ideas about beauty related to the construction of social class, race, gender and other markers of difference? How have individuals sought to "improve" their bodies in order to enhance their status and attractiveness?

In a work that spans 2,500 years, these questions are addressed by 54 experts from a broad range of disciplines, each contributing an overview of a theme applied to a period in history. Aided by a wide range of case material, they illustrate the practices and cultures of male and female beauty from antiquity to the present day. Individual volume editors ensure the cohesion of the whole and, to make it as easy as possible to use, chapter titles are identical across each of the volumes. This gives the choice of reading about a specific period in a single volumes, or following a theme across history by reading the relevant chapter in each of the six.

The six volumes cover: 1 - Antiquity; 2 - the Middle Ages; 3 - the Early Modern Age; 4 - the Age of Enlightenment; 5 - the Age of Empire; 6 - the Modern Age.

Themes (and chapter titles) are: ideas of beauty; art and beauty; beauty, ugliness, and ideas of difference; nakedness and beauty; grooming and hygiene; making the body beautiful; material culture, clothing, and consumer practices; and desire, sexuality, and beauty.

The page extent for the set is 1,680 pages.

Special introductory offer (valid up to 3 months after publication): £395 / $550 (full price: £440 / $610)

The Cultural Histories Series
A Cultural History of Beauty is part of the Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available both as printed hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a one-off purchase and tangible reference for their shelves, or as part of a fully searchable digital library, updated twice a year and available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access. . See www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com for further information or to access content.

Table of Contents

Volume 1: A Cultural History of Beauty in Antiquity
Edited by Kelly Olson, University of Western Ontario, Canada
Introduction
1. Ideas of Beauty, Jonathan Fine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA
2. Art and Beauty, Eve D'Ambra, Vassar College, USA
3. Beauty, Ugliness, and Ideas of Difference, Kelly Olson, University of Western Ontario, Canada
4. Nakedness and Beauty, Nickolas Pappas, City University of New York, USA
5. Grooming and Hygiene, Lynley J. McAlpine, San Antonio Museum of Art, USA
6. Making the Body Beautiful, David Konstan and Marice Rose, Fairfield University, USA
7. Material Culture, Clothing, and Consumer Practices, Neville McFerrin, University of North Texas, USA
8. Desire, Sexuality, and Beauty, Courtney A. Ward, Norwegian Institute in Rome, Italy
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index

Volume 2: A Cultural History of Beauty in the Middle Ages
Edited by Sarah Alison Miller, Duquesne University, USA
Introduction
1. Ideas of Beauty, Roberta Milliken, Ohio University Chillicothe, USA
2. Art and Beauty, Kirk Ambrose, University of Colorado Boulder, USA
3. Beauty, Ugliness, and Ideas of Difference, Patricia Skinner, Swansea University, UK
4. Nakedness and Beauty, Martha Easton, Saint Joseph's University, USA
5. Grooming and Hygiene, Albrecht Classen, independent scholar, USA
6. Making the Body Beautiful, Sarah Alison Miller, Duquesne University, USA
7. Material Culture, Clothing, and Consumer Practices, Sarah-Grace Heller, Ohio State University, USA
8. Desire, Sexuality, and Beauty, Rajyashree Pandey, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index

Volume 3: A Cultural History of Beauty in the Early Modern Age
Edited by Sarah Toulalan, University of Exeter, UK
Introduction
1. Ideas of Beauty, Erin Griffey and Kim Phillips, both University of Auckland, New Zealand
2. Art and Beauty, Erin Griffey, University of Auckland, New Zealand
3. Beauty, Ugliness, and Ideas of Difference, Naomi Baker, University of Manchester, UK
4. Nakedness and Beauty, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Cardiff University, UK
5. Grooming and Hygiene, Edith Snook, University of New Brunswick, Canada
6. Making the Body Beautiful, Sandra Cavallo, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
7. Material Culture, Clothing, and Consumer Practices, Valerio Zanetti, University of Oxford, UK
8. Desire, Sexuality, and Beauty, Ian Frederick Moulton, Arizona State University, USA
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index

Volume 4: A Cultural History of Beauty in the Age of Enlightenment
Edited by Karen Harvey, University of Birmingham, UK
Introduction
1. Ideas of Beauty, Katherine Aske, Edinburgh Napier University, UK, and Akiko Shimbo, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
2. Art and Beauty, Jennifer Van Horn, University of Delaware, USA
3. Beauty, Ugliness, and Ideas of Differences, Lisa Forman Cody, Claremont McKenna College, USA
4. Nakedness and Beauty, Kathryn Woods, University College London, UK
5. Grooming and Hygiene, Lisa Wynne Smith, University of Essex, UK
6. Making the Body Beautiful, Sarah Goldsmith, University of Edinburgh, UK
7. Material Culture, Clothing, and Consumer Practices, Catherine Lanoë, University of Orleans, France
8. Desire, Sexuality, and Beauty, Marilyn Morris
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index

Volume 5: A Cultural History of Beauty in the Age of Empire
Edited by Jessica P. Clark, Brock University, Canada
Introduction, Jessica P. Clark
1. Ideas of Beauty, Michelle J. Smith, Monash University, Australia
2. Art and Beauty, Charmaine A. Nelson, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
3. Beauty, Ugliness, and Ideas of Difference, Rochelle Rowe, University of Edinburgh, UK
4. Nakedness and Beauty, Alison Rowley, Concordia University, Canada
5. Grooming and Hygiene, Sean Trainor, University of Florida, USA
6. Making the Body Beautiful, Holly Grout, University of Alabama, USA
7. Material Culture, Clothing, and Consumer Practices, Mikiko Ashikari Soga, University of California Berkeley, USA
8. Desire, Sexuality, and Beauty, Genevieve Clutario, Wellesley College, USA
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index

Volume 6: A Cultural History of Beauty in the Modern Age
Edited by Paul R. Deslandes, University of Vermont, USA
Introduction
1. Ideas of Beauty, Bernadette Wegenstein, Johns Hopkins University, USA
2. Art and Beauty, Emily Newman, Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA
3. Beauty, Ugliness, and Ideas of Difference, Suzannah Biernoff, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
4. Nakedness and Beauty, Lela F. Kerley, independent scholar, USA
5. Grooming and Hygiene, Srirupa Prasad, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA
6. Making the Body Beautiful, Elizabeth M. Matelski, Endicott College, USA
7. Material Culture, Clothing, and Consumer Practices, Yuniya Kawamura, Fashion Institute of Technology, USA
8. Desire, Sexuality, and Beauty, Mark McClelland and Paul R. Deslandes, University of Vermont, USA
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index


Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published Jan 22 2026
Format Hardback - Pack
Edition 1st
ISBN 9781350071889
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations 120 colour and 223 bw illus
Dimensions Not specified
Series The Cultural Histories Series
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Anthology Editor

Paul R. Deslandes

Paul R. Deslandes is Professor of History and Asso…

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