About the Author:
Ferdinand Mount was born in 1939. For many years he was a columnist at the Spectator and then the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times. In between, he was head of the Downing Street Policy Unit and then editor of the Times Literary Supplement. He is now a prize-winning novelist, author of the bestselling memoir Cold Cream, the controversial The New Few and the bestselling The Tears of the Rajas. He lives in London.
From Library Journal:
At a time when "family values" are on everyone's mind comes the first U.S. edition of this fascinating social history of marriage by an editor for the Times Literary Supplement . Originally published in England in 1982, this work is no less provocative today: It argues that the family as we know it--nuclear, two-generational, and bound by affection and commitment--has existed and, indeed, triumphed throughout recorded history despite attempts by church and state to discredit and control it. Many widely held notions are refuted, including the belief that romantic love is a relatively modern concept, that arranged marriages were the norm until the 20th century, and that parents in earlier societies were indifferent to their children. Mount's contentions are supported by a convincing array of histor ical source material and contemporary scholarship. Essential for all academic and large public libraries.
- Linda Cul lum, Lake Superior State Univ. Lib., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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