The Beach
- Author Gideon Bosker
- Narrator Nadia May
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date 2 November 2009
- Run Time 13 hours and 8 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Coastlines, Nature and the natural world: general interest, The Earth: natural history: general interest.
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What to expect
Here for the first time is the full story of the seashore: its natural and social history, spectacles, and scandals. The turquoise surf and sugary sand of the beach make it a favorite retreat today, but this wasn’t always so. The oceans of antiquity engendered contradictory feelings. Greek and Roman myths filled it with bellicose monsters and alluring sirens. Medieval Europeans feared immersion in water. But the rediscovery of its medicinal attractions in the seventeenth century soon glorified the beach as an avenue for social pursuits.
In this elegant and illuminating account, Lencek and Bosker chart the evolution of the seaside from the margins of civilization, when “exotic” meant remote and terrifying, to its present role as the center of recreation and escape. Sexuality, health, fashion, sport, beach architecture, and beachwear all have their place in the progression toward the beach resorts that represent nirvana for the twentieth-century pleasure seeker.
Critics Review
“Scholarly and briskly good-humored.”
“A light and agreeable chronicle of the seashore.”
“This book should appeal to many readers because it is packed with good tidbits to ponder between naps on the beach.”
“A valuable addition to the literature on the cultural politics of leisure-time activities.”
“Lenček and Bosker are serious about the beach’s role in history and its appeal to the human imagination.”
| Author | Gideon Bosker |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Nadia May |
| Duration | 13 hours and 8 minutes |
| Release Date | |
| ISBN | 9781483054995 |
| Format | Audiobook |
| Publisher | Blackstone Publishing |
| Genre | Coastlines, Nature and the natural world: general interest, The Earth: natural history: general interest |
| Availability | US |
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