Published in association with Wellcome Collection. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Introduction -- How to use this book -- A-Z of phobias and manias.
Summary:
Ever been struck dumb when speaking in public? You might be suffering from glossophobia. Do your book-buying habits verge on bibliomania? Do you recoil in arachnophobic horror at the sight of a spider, or twitch with nomophobia when you misplace your mobile phone? Our fears and compulsions often feel like part of our deepest selves, yet they're bound up in the currents of the world around us. This thrilling compendium of 99 phobias and manias, rare and familiar, delves into the obsessions that shape us all. Author Kate Summerscale takes us from the Middle Ages to the present day, using rich and riveting case studies to trace the links between the private and the public, the personal and the political.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.