Description
Book SynopsisAn extensive historical exploration of touch which lies at the heart of our experience of the world
Trade Review "Classen is a veteran at telling sensory histories, with a deft touch. . . . A major appeal of Classen's new book is her account of the Industrial Revolution."--
The Chronicle Review
"This is a wise book, filled with fascinating observations, from which every reader will learn a great deal. The Deepest Sense breaks new ground not only by focusing on the long history of the sense of touch from the Middle Ages to the modern period, but also by drawing the tactile into a number of important historical conversations."--Richard Newhauser, coeditor of Pleasure and Danger in Perception: The Five Senses in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (special issue of The Senses and Society)
“Provides a nuanced and informative narrative on how humanity's relationship with touch has changed throughout history.”--
Publishers Weekly
"Recommended."--
Choice "Classen's lush descriptions provide an excellent underscoring of her exploration of this intimate sense."--
Library Journal "Classen eloquently argues that touch is the deepest sense not only because its cultural meanings stretch into the distant past but also because its social meanings remain embedded within core concepts of modernity… Classen shows that the history of touch is itself reflexive: although they can be only be inferred from sources, these once palpable embraces tell the history of the very deepest connections between us."--
American Historical Review
