Elizabeth Abbott

Joan of Arc was one. So was Sir Isaac Newton. A monk vows to be one. A prisoner has no choice. History tells of many avowed celibates, and today's society reflects a renewed interest in celibacy. But what causes people to give up sex, the very activity that drives, fascinates, troubles, and delights so many of the rest of us? Elizabeth Abbott's exploration of celibacy debunks the traditionally held notion that celibacy is a predominantly religious concept of little concern to the secular world. Chosen or imposed for myriad reasons, celibacy actually is a practice that reveals a host of telling insights about our sexual desires and drives, as well as our changing attitudes toward religion, gender, and physical health. A History of Celibacy humanises celibacy through the ages, from the vestal virgins of ancient Rome who were entombed alive if they broke their vows, to contemporary athletes who conserve semen to enhance their game. While most people associate institutional celibacy with Catholicism, Abbott shows how virtually every culture and religion through history has incorporated it in some form. Her examples range from Judaism's rules regarding abstinence during menstruation to Hinduism's forced celibacy for widows. Written from a feminist perspective, the book paints a dual portrait of celibacy as both emancipator and enslaver of women and the poor. Yet the book's focus is not solely on women. It recounts for instance the forced castration of Italy's young male sopranos, and tells why impoverished Chinese boys and men became eunuchs for the Emperor. The extremes to which people will go to abstain from sexual activity or to prevent others from having sex is an intriguing thread through a serious book.

A History of Celibacy

The book explores the hidden stories behind this sweet product, revealing how powerful American interests deposed Queen Lili'uokalani of Hawaii, how Hitler tried to ensure a steady supply of beet sugar when enemies threatened to cut off Germany's supply of overseas cane sugar, and how South Africa established a domestic ethanol industry in the wake of anti-apartheid sugar embargos. The book follows the history of sugar to the present day, showing how sugar made eating on the run socially acceptable and played an integral role in today's fast food culture and obesity epidemic. Impressively researched and commandingly written, Sugar will forever change perceptions of this sweet treat.

A Bittersweet History

Sugar

a bittersweet history

Slatko-gorka istorija šećera

A history of marriage

She has been known as the "kept woman," the "fancywoman," and the "other woman." The French acknowledge herexistence by remarking, "The chains of marriage are so heavy that it oftentakes three people to carry them." She is Jeanne Antoinette de Pompadour,and Simone de Beauvoir, not to mention Marilyn Monroe and Camilla Parker-Bowles.She is a mistress, and she has been – and is – very much apart of our humancultural history. But who is she, really? What is the true nature of themistress-lover relationship? How do women experience mistressdom? And where doeslove figure in all of this? Elizabeth Abbott, who made celibacy sexy in her acclaimed A History ofCelibacy, has the fascinating storehouse of answers in a deliciously richblend of history, personality and cultural study. In a lively and accessiblestyle, History of Mistresses draws intimate portraits of mistressesthroughout history, from Chinese concubines to Europe’s royal mistresses andthe clandestine consorts of (un)celibate clerics. Mobster molls, trophy dollsand modern mistresses are deconstructed, with often surprising results. Beyondthe personalities, some interesting themes emerge: the relationship betweenmistresses of colour and their married men; the coercion of Jewish women duringthe Holocaust; and a contemporary look at today’s "power"mistresses. From lust to love, from money to power, Abbott’s A History of Mistressesferrets out the motives and morals of these women, carrying the reader along ona journey that is hugely informative and always entertaining.

History Of Mistresses

Looks at the history of mistresses and concubines throughout history, from ancient times through the twentieth-century, focusing on such figures as Corinna, Marilyn Monroe, Lillian Hellman, Virginia Hill, and Jane Eyre.

Mistresses: a History of the Other Woman

This surprise bestseller from Canada traces the groups and individuals who are part of a timeless phenomenon that transcends culture and religion. Joan of Arc was one. So was Sir Isaac Newton. A monk vows to be one. A prisoner has no choice. History tells of many avowed celibates, and today's society reflects a renewed interest in celibacy. But what caused -- and still causes -- people to give up sex, the very activity that drives, fascinates, troubles, and delights the rest of us? Elizabeth Abbott's spirited and provocative exploration of celibacy debunks the traditionally held notion that celibacy is a predominantly religious concept of little concern to the secular world. With myriad examples, Abbott's lively history reveals insights not only about our religious practices but also about our sexual desires and changing attitudes toward gender and physical health. From the vestal virgins of ancient Rome, who were entombed alive if they broke their vows, to contemporary athletes, who "conserve semen" to enhance their game, from celibacy as a guarantee for marriage to involuntary celibacy among prisoners, eunuchs, and young women cloistered against their will, Abbott puts a human face on celibacy, capturing the anguish of the castrated boy destined for an operatic career, the ecstasy of the woman whose celibacy is rewarded by visions of Christ, and the anger of the bachelor doomed by the surplus of males in contemporary China. What didn't happen in the bedrooms of history, and why? Through stories of individual lives -- fascinating, vital, and real -- A History of Celibacy tells all.

Historical and biographical portraits of the following women: Hagar, Aspasia, Corinna, Dolorosa, Concubines in China (Yu-fang, May-ying), Concubines in Japan (Lady Nijo), Geisha Mistresses, Harem Concubines (Roxelana, Tz'u-hsi), Nell Gwynne, Jeanne-Antonette de Pompadour, Jeanne du Barry, Lola Montez, Katharina Schratt, Alice Keppel, Elena Lupescu, Camilla Parker-Bowles, Lady Bess Foster and Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire, Lady Caroline Lamb, Clair Clairmont, Countess Teresa Guiccionli, Papal Mistressess (Theodra and Marozia Theophylact, Vannoza d'Argianno and Guila Farnese), Modern Clerical Mistresses (Annie Murphy, Louise Iusewicz), Malinche, "Country wives" in colonial America (Sally Fiddler, Betsey Sinclair, and Margaret Taylor), Mistresses in conquered Asia (Le Ly Hayslip and Dao Thi Mui), Pibbah, Julia Chinn, Sally Hemmings, Julia Francis Lewis Dickinson, Harriet Jacobs, Eleanore Hodys, Eva Braun, Hannah Arendt, Heloise, Emile du Chalelet, Jeanne Hellabuterne, George Eliot, Lillian Hellman, Catherine Waltson, Joyce Maynard, Monstor molls, (Virginia Hill, Arlyne Brickman, Sandy Sandowsy, Georgia Durante and Shirley Ryce), Kremlin dolls, Castro's comrades (Naty Revuelta, Ceclia Sanchez,) Marion Davis, Gloria Swanson, Maria Callas, Marilyn Monroe, Judith Campbell, Vicki Morgan, Jane Eyre, Hester Prynne, Emma Bovary, Anna Karenina, Mildred Rogers, Ellen Olenska, Lara, Sarah Miles, Merrion Palmer, Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman, Lillian Ross, Simone de Beauvoir, Paula, Rachel, and Michaela.

A History of the Other Woman

Mistresses

Histoire universelle de la chasteté et du célibat

Au XVIIIe siècle, la princesse indienne Pocahontas tourne le dos aux forêts de l'Amérique du Nord pour suivre son amant anglais dans les rues de Londres. Dans la France du XVIIe siècle, Madame de Montespan ne jouit pas seulement des faveurs du Roi-Soleil, mais à titre de maîtresse royale se révèle une figure clé de Versailles. Avant d'être l'un des philosophes les plus importants du XXe siècle, Hannah Arendt fut aussi, en son temps, la disciple et la maîtresse du philosophe Martin Heidegger. De nos jours enfin, chacun peut suivre dans les journaux la patiente conquête du cœur du prince Charles par une certaine Camilla Parker-Bowles, puissante rivale contre laquelle même la beauté et la jeunesse d'une Lady Di n'ont pu rien faire. Qu'ont en commun toutes ces femmes ? Elles font partie de cette catégorie qui, suivant les époques, a hanté les coulisses de l'histoire, en a récrit à sa façon le déroulement ou a fait les délices des journaux à potins. On les appelle des maîtresses, parfois des concubines. Avec fougue et conviction, Elizabeth Abbott évoque leur vie mouvementée, souvent douloureuse. Même près du pouvoir, ces femmes l'ont-elles jamais détenu ? Suivons-les et relisons l'histoire à travers leur regard. Cela change tout.

Une histoire des maîtresses

What does the "tradition of marriage" really look like? In A History of Marriage, Elizabeth Abbott paints an often surprising picture of this most public, yet most intimate, institution. Ritual of romance, or social obligation? Eternal bliss, or cult of domesticity? Abbott reveals a complex tradition that includes same-sex unions, arranged marriages, dowries, self-marriages, and child brides. Marriage—in all its loving, unloving, decadent, and impoverished manifestations—is revealed here through Abbott's infectious curiosity.

From Same Sex Unions to Private Vows and Common Law, the Surprising Diversity of a Tradition

A History of Marriage

Recounts the depredations and corruption of the Duvalier regime in Haiti, detailing the excesses of both Papa and Baby Doc Duvalier and the grim state in which they left the country when the regime was finally overthrown

The Duvaliers and Their Legacy

Haiti

Happiness and redemption can be found at both ends of the leash, in all kinds of places Elizabeth Abbott had always been an animal lover, sharing her life with all kinds of dogs in need. But when worlds collided and her beloved dog Tommy was left behind in Haiti, a new journey began--one that would take her to some very surprising places and ultimately teach her some essential truths about the power of hope and redemption. From the soulless concrete corridors of an American prison to the halls of a Canadian hospital to life among the ruins in post-war Serbia, Abbott meets people whose lives are changed forever by a wagging tail and a pair of soulful eyes--and dogs who find a new lease on life with devoted human companions. Throughout Dogs and Underdogs, Abbott shares her own incredible and often amusing stories of rescuing dogs in need of shelter, friendship, and love: devoted Tommy, the inspiration who began it all; irrepressible Bonzi, the beagle who charmed his way into prisoners' hearts; sweet Alice, the little mama who survived a puppy mill to be "mothered" by other dogs; and many more. With wit and passion, Abbott digs down into the deepest roots of the human-animal bond, showing us that together people and dogs can find hope and happiness.

Elizabeth Abbott

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