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The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History
The question of cleanliness is one every age and culture has answered with confidence. For the first-century Roman, being clean meant a two-hour soak in baths of various temperatures, scraping the body with a miniature rake, and a final application of oil. For the aristocratic Frenchman in the seventeenth century, it meant changing your shirt once a day and perhaps go...more
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
November 13th 2007
by North Point Press
(first published October 12th 2007)
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Currently in America the average person can visit a drugstore and find entire aisles devoted to a previously unimaginable number of products to clean our bodies with: body wash, shampoos, conditioners, body scrubs, face scrubs, bar soap, liquid soap, gel soap, exfoliators, foaming cleansers, etc... And each of those products is available in a wide range of scents that allow us to choose to smell like baby powder, lilacs, vanilla, sweet peas, even chocolate. In this atmosphere it is easy to forge...more
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An utterly fun book to read, this history of cleanliness starts in Rome, and brings us up to today. From the fear that a bath would make you gay, a bath would kill you, not having a bath would kill you, swimming in the ocean would kill you, a shower would kill you, and some steam would kill you, to the belief that not bathing every 24 hours will make you a social recluse, this book raises some intersting points about cleanliness and the lack thereof in our long history of soaking for hours, or o...more
An entertaining overview on Western Civilization's perspective on personal cleanliness from the time of the Greeks & Romans to current day. Very readable, yet with solid research behind it - Ashenburg provides a notes section, as well as a selected bibliography.
I hadn't realized that modern advertising and bar soap developed pretty much simultaneously & hand-in-hand -- bar soaps all seem pretty much the same; therefore the different brands/companies needed advertising to help influe...more
I hadn't realized that modern advertising and bar soap developed pretty much simultaneously & hand-in-hand -- bar soaps all seem pretty much the same; therefore the different brands/companies needed advertising to help influe...more
I foolishly neglect to take notes while reading this book, so I don't have precise dates, hilarious anecdotes and strange factoids to share. However, all of those things can be found within these pages! Engagingly gossipy, with a clear organizational structure, this was an easy to read introduction to the very broad subject of hygiene. The book focuses mostly on Western Europe, with some side notes and comparison to the Middle East, northern Africa, the US, and a few others. Basically what I...more
Emerging squeaky clean after a shower where I lathered my hair with vanilla-scented shampoo and conditioner, scrubbed every inch of my body with J&J milk body wash, and rinsed off everything with soothing warm water, I often used to wonder how our ancestors did without the conveniences of soap, showers, or toilet paper.
How did they get by without deodorant? Without toothbrushes or toothpaste? How did they clean their backsides and how did they banish unpleasant odors away?
F...more
How did they get by without deodorant? Without toothbrushes or toothpaste? How did they clean their backsides and how did they banish unpleasant odors away?
F...more
Emerging squeaky clean after a shower where I lathered my hair with vanilla-scented shampoo and conditioner, scrubbed every inch of my body with J&J milk body wash, and rinsed off everything with soothing warm water, I often used to wonder how our ancestors did without the conveniences of soap, showers, or toilet paper.
How did they get by without deodorant? Without toothbrushes or toothpaste? How did they clean their backsides and how did they banish unpleasant odors away?
...more
How did they get by without deodorant? Without toothbrushes or toothpaste? How did they clean their backsides and how did they banish unpleasant odors away?
...more
A tremendous book that reads beautifully, is researched impeccably and which, most importantly, makes social history fun and relevant. Starting in Greek and Roman times, Ashenberg takes the reader on a journey through hygiene and sanitation practices and rituals (and lack thereof) right up to the present day - in the Western World. She explores the role of sex, religion and medicine, fashion and health and the influence they have all had on how we treat our bodies. I found myself laughing out lo...more
In the US today, most do not dream of leaving their homes unless they have first showered and perfumed their bodies. But this hasn’t always been the case – and it’s not necessarily because the bathing facilities aren’t available. Believe it or not, there was actually a time when water was to be avoided and that the best way to clean oneself was by wearing linen.
Ms Ashenburg takes us through the history of bathing from Roman times where is was a daily and social ritual to the Dark Age...more
Ms Ashenburg takes us through the history of bathing from Roman times where is was a daily and social ritual to the Dark Age...more
Wow! I read this book for my book group, Bound Together, and boy am I impressed! This book was unlike any other. I will confess that I times I was a bit grossed out, but Ashenburg's detail on the history of cleanliness made the book impossible to put down. I cannot believe how much has changed! The transition from public bathing to the obsessive need of Americans to bathe daily is surprising when you know the scandalous past of showers! I learned so much about the social history of cleanliness ...more
people weren't stanky, and then they were, and then they weren't again
i'm halfway through this and i'm bored because how much can you say about how often people did and didn't bathe? like, obviously, there's plenty to be said but it just isn't interesting enough to me. sadly i'm stuck slogging through the rest of this book because sux2bme, that's just the kind of book-reader i am. i should say that it isn't actually bad, just duuuuuuullllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll. (that's supp...more
i'm halfway through this and i'm bored because how much can you say about how often people did and didn't bathe? like, obviously, there's plenty to be said but it just isn't interesting enough to me. sadly i'm stuck slogging through the rest of this book because sux2bme, that's just the kind of book-reader i am. i should say that it isn't actually bad, just duuuuuuullllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll. (that's supp...more
Since I only made it through half the book, this isn't a proper review. Rather, I will be sharing my impressions.
This book is a history of bathing and the varying importance placed on a clean body. The author was very thorough, which made some of the passages repetitive. Bathing was good, then bathing was bad, then bathing was good again, etc. Ashenburg's writing style isn't as dry as some history books can be, but her attention to detail still made it dense. I only made it up to th...more
This book is a history of bathing and the varying importance placed on a clean body. The author was very thorough, which made some of the passages repetitive. Bathing was good, then bathing was bad, then bathing was good again, etc. Ashenburg's writing style isn't as dry as some history books can be, but her attention to detail still made it dense. I only made it up to th...more
The Dirt on Clean is a good popular history book for those outside of academic circles. I find that most popular history focuses on war, politics, and the history of 'great white men.' Ashenburg breaks from tradition by providing readers with an interesting and engaging social history of cleanliness that is easily accessible to the average reading. The book is not littered with historical jargon and takes a large, sweeping look at the history of cleanliness in Western society. I would recommend ...more
A fun and interesting book that traces the history of the standards of personal cleanliness in the Western world, beginning with the elaborate baths of ancient Rome.
The author describes the many forms of public and private bathing which have been considered normal over the centuries. She points out that Christianity is one of the few religions that doesn't insist on cleanliness of the body, and describes times and places where bathing with water was thought to be impious, unhealthy o...more
The author describes the many forms of public and private bathing which have been considered normal over the centuries. She points out that Christianity is one of the few religions that doesn't insist on cleanliness of the body, and describes times and places where bathing with water was thought to be impious, unhealthy o...more
So uh, yeah.
Anthropology masquerading as history, I think. There's a lot to this, but it should have chosen to show it's bias completely, or to be much more blandly historical/over-focused. The thesis is basically: the Romans had it right, the early Christians hated the body (ugh!! not true!!), the Dark Ages folks washed sometimes, depending on their country. The plague closed the bathhouses, and then nobody in Europe had bathrooms until the end of the nineteenth century, and even then, no...more
Anthropology masquerading as history, I think. There's a lot to this, but it should have chosen to show it's bias completely, or to be much more blandly historical/over-focused. The thesis is basically: the Romans had it right, the early Christians hated the body (ugh!! not true!!), the Dark Ages folks washed sometimes, depending on their country. The plague closed the bathhouses, and then nobody in Europe had bathrooms until the end of the nineteenth century, and even then, no...more
Amy
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history buffs and those interested in cleanliness
Recommended to Amy by:
Friend at Work
This was another fun one. The book starts out at the Roman and Greek baths where folks from all walks of life would meet at the elaborate bath houses and spend all day bathing. But it all goes downhill from there! By the middle ages, folks were afraid of water and avoided it at all costs. Even in the Victorian era, Europeans were not bathing more than once or twice a year...insted they changed their linen clothes a few times a day because it was believed that linen cleaned the body! And I w...more
The material's inherently interesting--the history of the West's relationship to bodily cleanliness and bathing--and she's done all the work, bringing all the research together, so if you want to learn about how we forsook water for about four hundred years, and believed that a protective layer of dirt was the only thing keeping us from getting sick, and how much effort it took to get the populace of major cities to use the public baths and showers that were installed a hundred or so years ago, ...more
Now it's on the stack, and I can't remember why the title appealed to me.
***
Northern Europeans of the Middle Ages didn't stink as much as I thought. The public baths were quite popular all over until Plague broke out. Nor did I realize that the "stews" which were closed down in Southwerk weren't just brothels, but were bath houses, too.
So, I'm enjoying this enormously. Except for an annoying tendency by the author to present beliefs as facts. Unavoidable, ...more
***
Northern Europeans of the Middle Ages didn't stink as much as I thought. The public baths were quite popular all over until Plague broke out. Nor did I realize that the "stews" which were closed down in Southwerk weren't just brothels, but were bath houses, too.
So, I'm enjoying this enormously. Except for an annoying tendency by the author to present beliefs as facts. Unavoidable, ...more
I started The Dirt on Clean while flying to Italy, which was perfect timing. The beginning chapters, which focus on cleanliness in ancient Greece and Rome, were a perfect primer on the two major baths of Rome: Diocletian and Caracalla. Both of which you can visit.
Although this isn't a particularly deep read, it was a bit of fast fun. I already knew the general flow of the history of western cleanliness (and most people with a passing interest in social history will be in the same boat),...more
Although this isn't a particularly deep read, it was a bit of fast fun. I already knew the general flow of the history of western cleanliness (and most people with a passing interest in social history will be in the same boat),...more
Ashenburg explores concepts of cleanliness, privacy, and health in this study of Western civilization from the Romans to the the present. She investigates how the spread of Christianity, the process of industrialization, and American ideas of individuality and progress affected cultural approaches to personal hygiene. There are some very entertaining facts in this book, and the illustrations and sidebars complement the text very nicely.
Absorbing read. The detail is fantastic - she provides obscure names, histories, etc. of all devices used for cleaning/bathing throughout the centuries. The book progresses from the farthest centuries right up to the present day, offering comparisons, social explanations for hygiene practices (or lack thereof!). A truly exhaustively researched book, and very well-written.
Super interesting topic, and I am glad I read this book. However, it was written kind of oddly... Most of it read like a history text book (think watching old-school documentary instead of new "fun" documentary), but then at the *very* end in a tiny section about modern cleanliness the author suddenly switches to super personal-opinion, judgy mode. I happen to agree that Americans today are way too obsessed with cleanliness, but to see such an abrupt switch in writing style was reall...more
this book was a really fascinating account of the history of personal hygiene and i found it to be a quick and fun read. the only thing i didn't like was that there was little to no mention of cleaning other than personal bathing--that is, i was also hoping to learn about the practice of cleaning the home throughout history, and this subject was never really approached.
I got this book because I was interested in the idea of not showering ABSOLUTELY every day during our severe drought. When I saw this on the new book shelf I wondered what it would tell me (historically speaking) about my feeling of being dirty twelve hours after a shower when all I did was sit at my desk.
I'm not sure if this book resolved my dilemma, but it was interesting. This book was not academic, but more simply written and cute. The one thing I did not like were the quotes ...more
I'm not sure if this book resolved my dilemma, but it was interesting. This book was not academic, but more simply written and cute. The one thing I did not like were the quotes ...more
This book looks at the changes in hygiene over the years, and raises the interesting point that it is primarily a culturaly based thing and despite a connection between being clean, and germs, what is acceptable in terms of personal hygiene has varied over the years, as has the methods of keeping clean. I found it a fascinating read.
I really liked this book. Katherine Ashenburg is a funny and extremely well researched author. She understands our western culture need for clean and she puts it in perspective against the rich tapestry of the rest of the world's version of clean. She makes the times and peoples she's writing about seem tangible. I could completely imagine what it would be like to be a eighteenth century french woman, or in ancient Greece. Ashenburg's descriptions are vibrant and she never gives up her quir...more
This is my favorite microhistory, although I read the British publication which was called something a bit different. Really fascinating, especially the periods of history where water and bathing were considered "unclean"--which lasted until the 20th century!
A fabulously wise aand witty read on the history of soap and water; and the developing cult of cleanliness and hygine from the Middle Ages in Europe onwards to the power of persuasion in the Advertizing Age of twentieth-century America.
This was no page turner for me but it was really interesting. It goes through history talking about what people did or did not do to consider themselves clean. It discusses the Romans all the way up to present time. I thought what the French and Romans did was fascinating. It also discusses how early Christians considered their souls to be clean, the dirtier their outside bodies were.....gross! Anyways, a interesting read about the evolution of cleanliness. We read it for book club last month.
After the plague in 14th century Europe, there was a 4 century episode in the west of extreme uncleanliness,due to an association of baths with disease. USA now leading a global obsession with cleanliness.
Mary
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Shelves:
current-events,
environment,
history,
humor,
philosophy,
science,
weird,
non-fiction,
americana
Excellent book -- the author keeps it light and interesting. Well researched, well written, very relevant. Makes me glad I never had to encounter 17th century French aristocracy (stinky stinky poo).
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