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Fatherhood

A History of Love and Power
Brief Description
An ambitious history of masculinity and family, from the Bronze Age to the modern day, Fatherhood dares to offer a more caring and affirmative vision of the roles men currently play in society. What is fatherhood, and where did it come from? How has the role... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3199
Elsewhere:
$3999
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A sweeping but intimate history - from the Bronze Age to the modern day - exploring where our inherited ideas of fatherhood have come from, how the role has changed over the centuries, and what it now means to be a dad.

A sweeping history exploring where our inherited ideas of fatherhood have come from, how the role has changed over the centuries, and what it means to be a dad today.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An ambitious history of masculinity and family, from the Bronze Age to the modern day, Fatherhood dares to offer a more caring and affirmative vision of the roles men currently play in society.

What is fatherhood, and where did it come from? How has the role of men in families and society changed across thousands of years? What does the history of fatherhood reveal about what it means to be a dad today?

Chronicling the intimate stories and struggles of some of history's most famous fathers, historian Augustine Sedgewick explores the origins and transformation of one of the most potent ideas in human history: fatherhood.

From the anxious philosophers of ancient Athens and Henry VIII's obsessive quest for an heir, to Charles Darwin's theories of human origins, Bob Dylan's take down of 'The Man', and beyond, Sedgewick shows how successive generations of men have shaped our understanding of what it means to be and have a father, and in turn our ideas of who we are, where we come from and what we are capable of.


Praise for Augustine Sedgewick's Coffeeland:

'Thoroughly engrossing . . . a deeply satisfying reading experience' - Michael Pollan

'Wonderful, energizing' - The Guardian

'There is much here to entertain, educate and stimulate' - Financial Times

'Sedgewick is a stylish writer' - i

'Epic, illuminating . . . a pocket history of globalisation itself' - Telegraph

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781035035755

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 May 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Picador

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 398g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Augustine Sedgewick earned his doctorate at Harvard University, and his research on the global history of capitalism, work, food, sex and masculinity has received fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Jackman Humanities Institute of the University of Toronto and the Project on Justice, Welfare and Economics at Harvard. Originally from Maine, he lives in New York City. Fatherhood is his second book.

Also by Augustine Sedgewick

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    Pre-order
    Fatherhood
    An ambitious history of masculinity and family, from the Bronze Age to the contemporary 'crisis of men', Fatherhood dares to offer a more caring and affirmative vision of the roles men play at home and in the world. Superbly intelligent . . . a rewarding Sapiens-style big history - The Sunday Times A lightness of touch that recalls Bill Bryson...
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  • Coffeeland
    Thoroughly engrossing ... his literary gifts and prodigious research make for a deeply satisfying reading experience studded with narrative surprise, hopping back and forth between El Salvador and the wider world - Michael Pollan, The Atlantic Coffee is one of the most valuable commodities in the history of the global economy and the world's most popular drug. The very word...
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