A History of Courtship: 800 Years of Seduction

O’Donnell (Slow Dating) unearths many quirky and telling details from the past in this whimsical history of courtship in Western society from the medieval period to the Victorian era. She touches on the lengths men and women would go to in order to physically attract a mate before the days of makeup, with strategies involving false teeth, eyebrows enhanced with mice fur, and face patching (glued pieces of black fabric used to conceal facial disfigurements). She also highlights the tokens and gifts lovers bestowed on each other, such as hand-carved spoons, coins, and locks of hair. Heavily illustrated with pages from illuminated manuscripts, Victorian valentines, and newspaper clippings, this is the perfect lighthearted gift for readers of Atlas Obscura or other offbeat histories. B&w illus. (Jan.)