What We Did in Bed: A Horizontal History

by Brian Fagan and Nadia Durrani

Pulling back the covers on the fascinating, yet often forgotten, history of the bed

"If you thought that your bed was only good for sleeping in, having sex in, or dying in, then this book will disabuse you-in fact, it's so entertaining, it will keep you awake long into the night."-Paul Chrystal, author of In Bed with the Ancient Greeks and In Bed with the Romans

Louis XIV ruled France from his bedchamber. Winston Churchill governed Britain from his during World War II. Travelers routinely used to bed down with complete strangers, and whole families shared beds in many preindustrial households. Beds were expensive items-and often for show. Tutankhamun was buried on a golden bed, wealthy Greeks were sent to the afterlife on dining beds, and deceased middle-class Victorians were propped up on a bed in the parlor.

In this sweeping social history that covers the past seventy thousand years, Brian Fagan and Nadia Durrani look at the endlessly varied role of the bed through time. This was a place for sex, death, childbirth, storytelling, and sociability as well as sleeping. But who did what with whom, why, and how could vary incredibly depending on the time and place. It is only in the modern era that the bed has transformed into a private, hidden zone, and its rich social history has largely been forgotten.

• ISBN10: 0300223889
• ISBN13: 9780300223880
• Publish Date: 12 November 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Yale University Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 232
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

Intriguing History. Fagan and Durrani do a superb job of showing the construction, uses, and activities associated with the humble bed throughout hisrory. Truly eye opening in so many ways, it really does bring to mind the quote about if something happens for just a couple of generations, people generally assume the thing has always been that way. Here, Fagan and Durrani do an excellent job of showing how the bed and its associated practices have changed throughout history, and in particular over the last couple of centuries. Truly amazing work, and very much recommended.