Description
Book SynopsisA human and global take on a beloved vacation spot. The crash of surf, smell of salted air, wet whorls of sand underfoot. These are the sensations of the beach, that environment that has drawn humans to its life-sustaining shores for millennia. And while the gull's cry and the cove's splendor have remained constant throughout time, our relationship with the beach has been as fluid as the runnels left behind by the tide's turning. The Lure of the Beach is a chronicle of humanity's history with the coast, taking us from the seaside pleasure palaces of Roman elites and the aquatic rituals of medieval pilgrims, to the venues of modern resort towns and beyond. Robert C. Ritchie traces the contours of the material and social economies of the beach throughout time, covering changes in the social status of beach goers, the technology of transport, and the development of fashion (from nudity to Victorianism and back again), as well as the geographic spread of modern beach-going from Englan
Trade Review"Ritchie's book is both engagingly written and thoroughly scholarly." * Geography Realm *
"The Lure of the Beach is a thoroughly researched, interesting social history. . . .a landmark text." * Technology & Culture *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Lure of the Sea
2. The Rise of the Resorts
3. Leisure Comes to America
4. The Industrial Revolution Finds the Beach
5. Can a Proper Victorian be Nude?
6. Entertainment Comes Front and Center
7. The Modern World Intrudes
8. Beach Resorts Become a Cultural Phenomenon
9. Who Owns the Beach?
10. The Relentless Sea
Notes
Bibliography
Index
