One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair

A. D. Peterkin

arsenal pulp press, 2001 - Health & Fitness - 227 pages

As seen in "Time Magazine, Esquire," and "The New Yorker"!

Every man has the capacity to grow facial hair, but the decision to do so has always come with layers of meaning. Facial hair has traditionally marked a passage into manhood, but its various manifestations have been determined by class, religious belief, historical precedent, and occupational status. Beards have at one time or another come to represent wisdom, goodness, sorcery, diabolism, psychological depth, and revolution; they have been purchased, elaborately trimmed, adorned, and dyed, and deracinated as a form of torture. To this day, the act of displaying facial hair is still regarded as a form of ultimate cool. With wit and insight, "One Thousand Beards" explores the historical meaning of beards, moustaches, sideburns, and other forms of facial hair, from Freud's psychoanalytic interpretation, to a wild trip through history, to a rogue's gallery of famous bearded or moustached men, including Abraham Lincoln, Joseph Stalin, Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean, and Yosemite Sam. Now in its third printing

What people are saying

Review: One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair

User Review  - Josh - Goodreads

I don't generally review books on Goodreads in a serious way because most of the books I read are okay. Plenty of others have said what I think very well. Some of the book I read are great and many ...

Review: One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair

User Review  - Dave - Goodreads

I bet this book would be good as a bathroom reader. I enjoyed it in snippets, but sometimes it read too much like a beard textbook. It looks like I will not be majoring in beards after all. It does have some great quotes and historical beard context though.

Contents

• Introduction: 9
• The Antique Beard A History of the Beard: 15
• Beards of Fame and Infamy: 41
• The AntiBeard A History of Shaving: 59
• The Medical Beard: 75
• The Religious Beard: 85
• The Feminine Beard: 97
• The Unconscious Beard: 113
• The Gay Beard: 127
• The Regulated Beard: 141
• Subsidiary Growth Alternate Facial Hair Expressions: 151
• The 20th Century Beard: 179
• The Postmodern Beard: 189
• The Personal Beard Grooming Strategies: 197
• Resources and Bibliography: 219

About the author

Allan Peterkin is a psychiatrist and the author of numerous books, including One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

Bibliographic information

• Title: One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair
• Author: A. D. Peterkin
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: arsenal pulp press, 2001
• ISBN: 1551521075, 9781551521077
• Length: 227 pages
• Subjects: Health & Fitness / Beauty & Grooming; Health & Fitness / Men's Health; History / Social History; Social Science / Men's Studies; Social Science / Popular Culture