The meanings given to old age reveal how a culture sees itself and what it values. The history of advanced age reflects our changing concepts of and attitudes to body and mind, authority and the past, community and the individual, economic and political power, work and leisure, and health and death. A Cultural History of Old Age presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of ageing.

The 6 volumes cover: Antiquity (c.700 BCE-500 CE); the Medieval Age (500-1450); the Renaissance (1450-1650); the Age of Reason (1650-1800); the Age of Empire (1800-1920); the Modern Age (1920 - present).

Themes (and chapter titles): old age, gender and the life course; beliefs and cultures; population; family, community, and state; labor and leisure; science, medicine, and health; experiences of aging; and the artistic representation.

The page extent for the pack is approximately 1536pp. Each volume opens with an Introduction and concludes with Notes, Bibliography, and an Index.

The Cultural Histories Series
A Cultural History of Old Age is part of The Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available both as printed hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a one-off purchase and tangible reference for their shelves, or as part of a fully-searchable digital library available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access (see www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com).