Born
The Untold History of Humanity
Published on 28. August 2025
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-3994-1439-5 (ISBN)
Description
'Shaped by meticulous research, Inglis writes with clarity, pace and a sharp eye for surprising details.' - Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen and Uproar
'Deeply researched, smart, poignant, and witty.' - Karen Bloom Gevirtz, author of The Apothecary's Wife
Women have been fighting for control over their bodies for thousands of years. From Neolithic hunter-gatherers to the reversal of Roe v. Wade, this is their story.
Acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes the reader on an epic journey through the stories of women over hundreds of thousands of years. From ancient Mesopotamian birthing practices to the lost contraceptives of Ancient Rome and the strange story of the feminists who fought for the right to forget childbirth, this is a truly sweeping history that explores the competing ideologies and lived realities that have shaped so many lives.
Lucy Inglis charts the battle for control throughout history over reproduction, birth and women's bodies - a fight still raging in many places across the world. With birth rates falling and infant mortality in many societies on the rise once more, this bold and timely book raises vital questions about how we think about motherhood and pregnancy today. Lucy Inglis has spent over a decade researching the history of childbirth, drawing on new and unseen sources from a wide-ranging array of disciplines.
Charting the powerful interests and dedicated scientists that have shaped women's maternal experiences, this is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand how we all came to be here.
'Deeply researched, smart, poignant, and witty.' - Karen Bloom Gevirtz, author of The Apothecary's Wife
Women have been fighting for control over their bodies for thousands of years. From Neolithic hunter-gatherers to the reversal of Roe v. Wade, this is their story.
Acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes the reader on an epic journey through the stories of women over hundreds of thousands of years. From ancient Mesopotamian birthing practices to the lost contraceptives of Ancient Rome and the strange story of the feminists who fought for the right to forget childbirth, this is a truly sweeping history that explores the competing ideologies and lived realities that have shaped so many lives.
Lucy Inglis charts the battle for control throughout history over reproduction, birth and women's bodies - a fight still raging in many places across the world. With birth rates falling and infant mortality in many societies on the rise once more, this bold and timely book raises vital questions about how we think about motherhood and pregnancy today. Lucy Inglis has spent over a decade researching the history of childbirth, drawing on new and unseen sources from a wide-ranging array of disciplines.
Charting the powerful interests and dedicated scientists that have shaped women's maternal experiences, this is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand how we all came to be here.
Reviews / Votes
Deeply researched, smart, poignant, and witty... By placing birth - rather than violence, language, or even taxes - as humanity's constant, Inglis offers a compelling new view of both history and the present. -- Karen Bloom Gevirtz, author of 'The Apothecary's Wife' Moving from prehistory to the present, Lucy Inglis draws long overdue attention to the cultural history of childbirth. Born is a compelling read, considering subjects as diverse as caesareans, eugenics and religious theorising on birth, while taking readers on a journey through this most important of life events. Impeccably researched, Born is essential reading for anyone interested in the human condition. -- Dr. Elizabeth Norton, author of 'The Lives of Tudor Women' A fascinating exploration of a long overlooked area of history. Shaped by meticulous research, Inglis writes with clarity, pace and a sharp eye for surprising details. She takes the reader on a tumultuous rollercoaster through time, and achieves that most difficult of things: bringing the strange lives of our ancestors vividly to life. -- Alice Loxton, author of 'Eighteen' and 'Uproar!' Inglis treats childbirth with the academic rigour and insightful compassion it deserves. -- Leah Hazard, author of 'WOMB' [An] eloquent account from historian Inglis (Milk of Paradise). Childbirth, she argues, has always been fraught with danger, underscored by hope, and communal, with 'every successful birth...a small victory for humanity.' With birth stories from the author's own family gracefully woven in, the result is a nuanced and tender look at an intimate yet universal human experience. -- Publishers Weekly compelling -- Martin Chilton * The Independent *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Illustrations
28 black and white images
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
544 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3994-1439-5 (9781399414395)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Lucy Inglis is a historian and novelist, and occasionally a television and radio presenter. Her first book Georgian London: Into the Streets was a finalist for the History Today Longman Prize. Her second novel, Crow Mountain, won the Romantic Novelist Association's Young Adult Book of the Year. Lucy is also the author of the international bestseller Milk of Paradise: A History of Opium, which was Book of the Week for Radio 4 and The Sunday Times. She lives in London with her husband and their wire-haired dachshund.
Content
Introduction
1. The Realm of Women
2. The Realm of Men
3. Darkness Falls
4. The Rise of the Machines
5. Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy
6. The Numbers Game
7. Something Wicked This Way Comes
8. 'A Violent and Messianic Age'
9. Living Memory
Acknowledgements
Images Credits
Notes
Selected Further Reading
Index
1. The Realm of Women
2. The Realm of Men
3. Darkness Falls
4. The Rise of the Machines
5. Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy
6. The Numbers Game
7. Something Wicked This Way Comes
8. 'A Violent and Messianic Age'
9. Living Memory
Acknowledgements
Images Credits
Notes
Selected Further Reading
Index