Louis XIV ruled France from his bedchamber. Winston Churchill governed Britain from his during World War II. Travelers routinely used to bed down with complete strangers, and whole families shared beds in many preindustrial households. Beds were expensive items—and often for show. Tutankhamun was buried on a golden bed, wealthy Greeks were sent to the afterlife on dining beds, and deceased middle-class Victorians were propped up on a bed in the parlor.
In this sweeping social history that covers the past seventy thousand years, Brian Fagan and Nadia Durrani look at the endlessly varied role of the bed through time. This was a place for sex, death, childbirth, storytelling, and sociability as well as sleeping. But who did what with whom, why, and how could vary incredibly depending on the time and place. It is only in the modern era that the bed has transformed into a private, hidden zone, and its rich social history has largely been forgotten.
The title alone made me pick this up.
What We Did in Bed is about the historical importance of beds.
It’s fascinating that beds are a relatively modern concept, not to mention having bed-rooms and privacy to the extent that most countries in the West have today.
This isn’t a scandalous or gossipy book, it’s a straight up history and evolution of the bed, so don’t go into it expecting some weird sex facts or a lot of stories about what famous people did in bed.
Apart from Churchill and John Lennon, this is from an anthropological perspective.
I read this for fun because there’s nothing better than being educated while being entertained.
I’m a nerd. But you already know that.
Did I enjoy it?
Yes, this was a fun read! I’ve never given much thought to how beds developed or what their societal implications were.
And I never knew beds were the centres of socialising in the past – though having had one foot in cultures and socio-economic situations where beds are used differently than in the West, I shouldn’t have been surprised, I used to do it myself!
And to think that cahrpoys are one of my favourite piece of furniture ever specifically because they’re so versatile 😆 How blind one can be to their own experiences.
Note to self: when you get a terrace, get a charpoy.
This was an interesting journey into how beds developed, how they were used, and how beds changed as society and values changed.
If you like history and trivia, this is a nice read that sheds light on something you use every day yet don’t spend that much time thinking about.
