eishiya reviewed The Dirt on Clean by Katherine Ashenburg
A History of Bathing
3 stars
"The Dirt on Clean" is a fun gallop through history through the lens of cleanliness, showing the evolution of the concept of hygiene and the means used to achieve it in western culture, from the Ancient Greeks to Europe and North America in the 2000s. Katherine Ashenburg discusses the religious, scientific, and social factors that influenced the standards of different eras, and the way these standards affected health, fashion, and even language.
The writing is easy to read. Though the author mostly maintains a neutral approach to the subject, the occasional anecdote or quip spices things up. As a popular history book covering over 2000 years, it does not dwell long on any particular era or development, but I felt it was enough. It's also pretty well cited, so it's possible to use it as a springboard for more research.
This book is a useful read if you're writing a …
"The Dirt on Clean" is a fun gallop through history through the lens of cleanliness, showing the evolution of the concept of hygiene and the means used to achieve it in western culture, from the Ancient Greeks to Europe and North America in the 2000s. Katherine Ashenburg discusses the religious, scientific, and social factors that influenced the standards of different eras, and the way these standards affected health, fashion, and even language.
The writing is easy to read. Though the author mostly maintains a neutral approach to the subject, the occasional anecdote or quip spices things up. As a popular history book covering over 2000 years, it does not dwell long on any particular era or development, but I felt it was enough. It's also pretty well cited, so it's possible to use it as a springboard for more research.
This book is a useful read if you're writing a historical story or working with a fantasy setting. Cleaning customs are an important expression of a culture's priorities and beliefs, and the Dirt on Clean will probably give you many things to think about for your stories. At least, it will probably put some things you already knew in context.
The one big issue I had with the Dirt on Clean is that its focus is firmly on cleaning dirt and sweat, there is very little about menstruation and defecation/urination, which I feel are a big part of cleanliness. I feel like I've read only half of the book this one claims to be - perhaps it would've been better with a less broad title.