Alain Corbin

A History of Rest explores the intriguing space occupied by rest, existing between sleep and alertness. It serves as both recuperation and preparation for what lies ahead, presenting a necessity for both humans and animals. Throughout history, rest has been portrayed in various, often conflicting, ways—ranging from heavenly repose to modern remedies for burnout. Despite these variations, its importance remains...

The distant past is commonly characterised in terms of dominant materials of the time – the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, etc. Since the dawn of writing, however, characterising eras in terms of materials has fallen by the wayside, and yet materials have continued to exert a powerful influence on our collective imagination. Viewed from this perspective,...

Everyone knows the wind’s touch, its presence, its force. Sometimes it roars and howls; at other times we hear its wistful sighs and feel its soothing caresses. Since antiquity, humans have borne witness to the wind and relied on it to navigate the seas. And yet, despite its presence at the heart of human experience, the wind has evaded scrutiny...

Silence is not simply the absence of noise. It is within us, in the inner citadel that great writers, thinkers, scholars and people of faith have cultivated over the centuries. It characterises our most intimate and sacred spaces, from private bedrooms to grand cathedrals – those vast reservoirs of silence. Philosophers and novelists have long sought solitude and inspiration in...

Identifying gaps in knowledge is the first duty of any historian who sets out to understand the past. It is impossible fully to understand our forebears without some idea of what they did not know: the history of ignorance is an indispensable part of history itself. Here Alain Corbin focuses on our planet, exploring its mysteries past and present, and...