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Francesca Beauman
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Shapely Ankle Preferr'd: A History of the Lonely Hearts Ad [1695-2010] Hardcover – January 1, 2011

by Francesca Beauman (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 16 ratings
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What do women look for in a man? And what do men look for in a woman? And how and why has this changed over the centuries? Every week thousands of people advertise for love either in newspapers, magazines or online. But if you think this is a modern phenomenon, think again - the ads have been running for over three hundred years. In 1695, a popular London pamphlet published the brave plea of a young gentleman who 'would willingly Match himself to some Good Young Gentlewoman, that has a Fortune of GBP3000 or thereabouts'. This was just the beginning. In the 1730s, papers carried regular ads in which income or respectability were the most desired qualities, though some asked for a 'shapely ankle' or a 'non-dancer'. By 1900 twenty-five British newspapers were dedicated solely to matrimonial ads. Shapely Ankle Preferr'd tells the story of ads of all kinds - from aristocrats and MPs, bus conductors and nurses, country squires and city swells, and even from a man who had lost a leg 'due to the kick of an Ostrich, in the East Indies'. The reasons are strangely the size of the city makes it hard to meet people; they're busy at work; they've just returned from abroad. Loneliness is not new. The surprising views of Lord Byron, Charlotte Bronte and George Orwell are revealed, and every ad is a snapshot of its age, from the criminal scams of the 1890s to the sad appeals of widows after the Second World War. In this fascinating book Fancesca Beauman uses newly uncovered evidence to answer crucial questions about how humans choose their mates. The result is a startling history of sex, marriage and society over three centuries - hilarious and heartbreaking by turn.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Chatto & Windus
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    6.34 x 0.87 x 8.74 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0701181702
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0701181703
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fascinating... an absorbing and intelligent history of the pursuit of love." (Sunday Times)

"Thoroughly original.... elegant, witty, wise and utterly delightful." (Literary Review)

"Wonderfully enjoyable." (Mail on Sunday)

"For the majority of their history, Lonely Hearts have been optimistically exacting of would-be inamoratos, demanding that they possess such desirable qualities as elegance, charm and wit. Precisely the same qualities, in other words, as are possessed by this wonderful book."(The Times)


"Fascinating... A perfect little history..." (Daily Telegraph)

About the Author

After a decade as a TV host, Francesca Beauman is now a writer, historian and part-time bookseller at London's most beautiful bookstore, Persephone Books. She is the author of six books, including a historyof the pineapple and a history of personal ads. She also runsthe popular book forum, "Fran's Book Shop" (@fransbookshop).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chatto & Windus; 1st Ed. edition (January 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0701181702
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0701181703
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.34 x 0.87 x 8.74 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 16 ratings

About the author

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Francesca Beauman

Francesca Beauman

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After a decade as a TV host, Francesca Beauman is now a writer, historian and part-time bookseller at Persephone Books. She is the author of seven books, including a history of the pineapple and a history of personal ads. She is originally from London, spent a decade in Los Angeles, and now lives in Bath in Somerset.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
16 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rhonda Lomazow
5.0 out of 5 stars Good condition
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
As it was described
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Lilian Violet
4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of little gems
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2011
Verified Purchase
Slightly more academic than I was expecting, and absolutely intriguing. The changing fashions of personal ads reflects the changing fashion of love. I was intrigued by the hidden language of gay personal ads, and wish there'd been a bit more about this! On the whole, a very handy reference for social history buffs: absolutely packed with little gems.
2 people found this helpful
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BirdLady
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2012
Verified Purchase
The book is well researched with interesting. It was interesting to find out singles ads have been around for so long.
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MJ Aravind
2.0 out of 5 stars But the book is not an easy read as the author seems to get lost in ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
What an interesting subject! And the author has clearly spent a lot of time researching it.

But the book is not an easy read as the author seems to get lost in the details. Could have been a better book with some editing
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

C. C. H. Knight
5.0 out of 5 stars 300 years of lonely hearts!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2018
Verified Purchase
fascinating - I learned a whole lot about the history of lonely hearts ads
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DorothyJones
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2016
Verified Purchase
A good buy
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D. A. Matthews
4.0 out of 5 stars Well-Researched
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2011
Verified Purchase
A well researched and readable but ultimately slightly repetitive study of the Lonely Hearts genre. As a chart of the changing attitudes in society towards single people, notably female, in search of what we all desire (a life partnership in which there is mutual trust and respect), the narrative certainly works. What repeatedly comes over to the reader is a) the keenness of the participants to fall for the line being peddled in the advert, which in virtually all cases overstates the virtues of the advertiser, and b) the opportunities both for fradusters and for hoaxers.
An interesting and enjoyable read covering a subject of which I, for one, knew nothing.
3 people found this helpful
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