Disenchanted Night

The Industrialization of Light in the Nineteenth Century

| 4.39 | 151 ratings and reviews

Recommended by Judith Flanders, and 1 others. See all reviews

Ranked #99 in Sleep

Wolfgang Schivelbusch tells the story of the development of artificial light in the nineteenth century. Not simply a history of a technology, Disenchanted Night reveals the ways that the technology of artificial illumination helped forge modern consciousness. In his strikingly illustrated and lively narrative, Schivelbusch discusses a range of subject including the political symbolism of streetlamps, the rise of nightlife and the shopwindow, and the importance of the salon in bourgeois culture. less
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Judith Flanders I wish I could. In fact, although I’ve done a bit of searching, because I am such an admirer of his, I know almost nothing about him. He appears not to be an academic, but works on his own – and I think he lives in New York. But I know nothing more about him personally. If anyone does, do let me know! I’ve read everything he’s written that’s appeared in English – from a book on the psychology of defeat in war to a social history of spices. I know with this author that even if I think I’m not interested before I begin, I will be 20 pages in. (Source)

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