Harlots, whores & hackabouts : a history of sex for sale / Kate Lister.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lister, Kate, 1981-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Prostitution--History.

Prostitution.

History.

Prostitutes--History.

Prostitutes.

Prostitution--Social aspects.

Prostitutes--Social conditions.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

255 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Harlots, whores and hackabouts

Place of Publication:

London : Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2021.

Summary:

The history of selling sex is a hidden one, its practitioners a 'damnable crew' pushed to the margins of history. Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts redresses the balance, revealing the history of sex for sale, from medieval back street to Wild West saloon, and from the brothel to state bedroom. This enthralling history is brought to life by Kate Lister's witty and authoritative text, and illuminated by a rich archive of photographs, artworks and objects. 0Structured thematically in broadly chronological order, the book introduces a lively cast of complex and entertaining characters operating in an array of different periods and settings. The Mesopotamian harlot Shamhat was powerful and respected, able to civilize the wild man Enkidu through her charms. In medieval London Elizabeth Moryng serviced clergy under the guise of an embroidery business, though was eventually jailed for being a prolific procuress and bawd. In Renaissance Venice the courtesan Veronica Franco published her poetry, rubbed shoulders with royalty and founded a charity for other courtesans. In the hedonistic floating world of Edo, Japan, kabuki actresses and then geishas entertained and pleasured their patrons. Three men were hanged in 18th-century London for buggery after being found in the Molly House of Margaret Clap. And at the turn of the century, in New Orleans, Lulu White ran Mahogany Hall, a four-storey building that housed up to forty sex workers. 0Lister's illuminating tales invite readers to look, listen and reconsider everything they thought they knew about the world's oldest profession.

Contents:

Introduction: tales from Gropecunt Lane

In service of the Gods: sex in the ancient world

Toads and she-wolves: selling sex in the classical world

The geese that laid the golden egg: sex work in medieval London

The honest courtesans: selling sex in Renaissance Europe

The pleasures of the moon: the floating world of Edo Japan

Molly houses and Mary-Anns: men selling sex in Regency Britain

Master of the plum blossoms: sex in the Qing dynasty

The great social evil: prostitution in the 19th century

Soiled doves and jailbirds: sex for sale in the Land of the Free

Maisons de Tolérance: sex and the Belle Époque

The prophylactic dicatorship: sex in wartime

Conclusion: the fight back.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0500252440

9780500252444

OCLC:

1240415361