{"product_id":"at-days-close-9781474624916","title":"At Days Close","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA fascinating and colourful social history of the nighttime.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A wonderful revelation of a vanished age of darkness'' \u003c\/b\u003eSPECTATOR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Fascinating''\u003c\/b\u003e SUNDAY TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A splendid book ... great entertainment''\u003c\/b\u003e Sir Patrick Moore\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A triumph of social history. Almost every page contains something to surprise the reader ... one of the most enjoyable literary experiences of the year''\u003c\/b\u003e MAIL ON SUNDAY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom blanket fairs to night kings, curfews to crime, \u003ci\u003eAt Day''s Close \u003c\/i\u003eis an intriguing and captivating investigation into the night. Until now, this rich and complex universe in which we spend nearly half of our lives was a world long-lost to historians. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere, Ekirch explores how the night was lived in the past, through travel accounts, memoirs, letters, folklore, poems, court records and coroner''s reports. More than this, it is a passionate argument in the case for less artificial light in an increasingly bright world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA wonderful revelation of a vanished age of darkness * SPECTATOR *\u003cbr\u003eA triumph of social history. Almost every page contains something to surprise the reader ... one of the most enjoyable literary experiences of the year * MAIL ON SUNDAY *\u003cbr\u003eAn enthralling anthropology of the shadow reals of Western Europe from the late Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution ... a passionate case against too much artificial light * HARPER'S MAGAZINE *\u003cbr\u003eIn his fascinating survey of the dark hours of the pre-industrial era, A Roger Ekirch takes us deep into an age when the very lack of light threw life into confusion ... an engrossing book that illuminates the darker recesses of the past * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *\u003cbr\u003eMeticulously researched ... AT DAY'S CLOSE is a splendid book ... great entertainment, and to social historians it will be of immense value -- Sir Patrick Moore * TIMES HIGHER EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT *\u003cbr\u003eA comprehensive account of nightlife...bursting with esoteric and well-sourced information about everything from candles and curfews to church bells and chamber pots * EVENING STANDARD *\u003cbr\u003eWonderful... Ekirch spares no pains to rediscover the lost world of the dark ... A book that can't be summarised but must be experienced -- David Wootton * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *\u003cbr\u003eJust the sort of browsable treat guaranteed to cause insomnia * THE SCOTSMAN *\u003cbr\u003eNight-time has been curiously ignored by social historians. This fine book corrects that lack ... Entertaining and informative * THE TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eEkirch's absorbing history reveals an alternative universe shaped by real and imaginary perils * SUNDAY TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eFascinating ... exploring what went on at night between 1500 and 1830 ... Here are microcultural tales of pirates and robbers, blanket fairs (people climbing into bed together to talk before going to sleep), curtain lectures (wives who felt emboldened by the dark to complain to their recumbent husbands) and night-kings (sewer cleaners in German) * GUARDIAN *\u003cbr\u003eThe book is especially engaging on the social significance of the night, the moral meanings projected into the dark * FINANCIAL TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eThere are so many good stories here which do not usually find themselves between the same covers * LITERARY REVIEW *\u003cbr\u003eThis enlightening book ... is one of the most fascinating and rewarding literary experiences you are likely to discover this year * HERTS \u0026amp; ESSEX OBSERVER *\u003cbr\u003eAbsorbing ... fascinating ... tells us about everything from witches to firefighting, architecture to domestic violence ... a monumental study * THE NATION *\u003cbr\u003eJust the sort of browsable treat guaranteed to cause insomnia. * THE SCOTSMAN (29\/4\/06) *\u003cbr\u003eWonderful... Ekirch spares no pains to rediscover the lost world of the dark. ... A book that can't be summarised but must be experienced. -- David Wootton * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS (9\/3\/06) *\u003cbr\u003eNight-time has been curiously ignored by social historians. This fine book corrects that lack. ... Entertaining and informative, this book is also challenging. * THE TIMES (25\/3\/06) *\u003cbr\u003eEkirch's absorbing history reveals an alternative universe shaped by real and imaginary perils. * SUNDAY TIMES (23\/4\/06) *\u003cbr\u003eThis enlightening book ... is one of the most fascinating and rewarding literary experiences you are likely to discover this year. * HERTS \u0026amp; ESSEX OBSERVER (11\/5\/06) *","brand":"Orion Publishing Co","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739620323671,"sku":"9781474624916","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781474624916.jpg?v=1720052752","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/at-days-close-9781474624916","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}