An enlightening and entertaining social history of how we have tried (and failed) to battle the bulge over two millennia.
Louise Foxcroft has a PhD in the history of medicine from the University of Cambridge. Her book, Hot Flushes, Cold Science was the winner of the Longman-History Today Prize, 2009. She writes for the Guardian and the London Review of Books.
A compelling history of mankind's peculiar and often perverse
relationship with dieting ... like a grown-up version of Horrible
Histories ... her style is pacy and she has a wonderfully light
touch
*The Times*
Immensely readable and very enjoyable, brilliantly researched and
filled with fascinating, often hilarious facts
*Arabella Weir*
This witty history of dieting is full of interesting facts ... a
great reminder that the basic principles of weight loss never
change
*Elle*
Elegantly written and full of tasty morsels
*Mail on Sunday*
Astutely researched ... amusing, alarming and poignant by
turns.
*Nature*
Meticulously researched, Calories And Corsets is packed with
intriguing details - some jaw-dropping, others laugh-out-loud funny
- that make it an easy and enjoyable read.
*Herald*
Anybody with an appetite for such unwholesome [dieting] texts
should opt instead for Foxcroft's a slim and sensible history.
*Daily Telegraph*
Put down the diet book and pick up Louise Foxcroft's history of
dieting... by the time you're finished you might see the
weight-loss industry in a very different light... Foxcroft takes a
briskly sceptical line on the global dieting phenomenon.
*Daily Mail*
A book of such relentless good sense that I must recommend it -
especially if you're considering a post-festive binge diet
*Prospect*
Entertaining ... Foxcroft's book is full of startling anecdotes,
but she also has a serious purpose
*Literary Review*
Amusing [and] illuminating
*Sunday Times*
Foxcroft - whose writing recalls the late father of medical
history, Roy Porter - tells what is essentially a grim and visceral
tale with wit and sprezzatura.
*The Week*
An authoritative history... There are plenty of good stories and
she is good on Lord Byron...
*Spectator*
A catchy title and a great subject...
*Evening Standard*
A welcome addition to the fields of food and body histories... an
engaging synthesis of existing research and delves into a number of
original sources... There is some substantial scholarship
here...
*BBC History Magazine*
Fascinating
*Daily Express*
'fascinating... Foxcroft does this (dispels dieting myths)
admirably, and with wit. This short volume would be a wise
investment for anyone tempted to sign up to the (screamingly
fashionable) high-protein diet of Dr Dukan, or to the (previously
hip, now less so) regime of the low-carb king Dr Atkins.
*FT*
At last, a book on dieting that is sensible, and better still,
entertaining... a lively history.
*Independent*
Entertaining and colourful
*The Lady*
Mixing science with fashion and celebrity, this enlightening book
gives the full skinny on lean, fat and in-between.
*Saga*
Brilliantly researched and highly entertaining.
*Daily Mail*
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