At Day’s Close
- Author A. Roger Ekirch
- Narrator Roger Davis
- Publisher Orion
- Run Time 14 hours and 43 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre European history: medieval period, middle ages, Folklore, myths and legends, General and world history, Nature and the natural world: general interest, Social and cultural history.
Titles Purchased
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Price p/Title
- £7.99
- £6.99
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What to expect
'A wonderful revelation of a vanished age of darkness' SPECTATOR
'Fascinating' SUNDAY TIMES
'A splendid book ... great entertainment' Sir Patrick Moore
'A 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
From blanket fairs to night kings, curfews to crime, At Day's Close is 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.
Here, 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.
Critics Review
-
A wonderful revelation of a vanished age of darkness
SPECTATOR -
A 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 -
An 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 -
In 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 -
Meticulously researched … AT DAY’S CLOSE is a splendid book … great entertainment, and to social historians it will be of immense value
TIMES HIGHER EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT -
A 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
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