Red: A Natural History of the Redhead

About the Book

A New York Times bestseller

Red is the first book to explore the history of red hair and red-headedness throughout the world.

More than just a book for redheads, Red is a fascinating social and cultural celebration of a rich and mysterious genetic quirk.

With an obsessive fascination that is as contagious as it is compelling: the book explories red hair in the ancient world, the prejudice manifested against redheads across medieval Europe, and red hair during the Renaissance as both an indicator of Jewishness and the height of fashion in Protestant England, thanks to Elizabeth I.

It also examines depictions of red hair in art and literature, looks at modern medicine and the genetic decoding of redheads, and considers red hair in contemporary culture, from advertising to 'gingerism' and bullying.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Way, Way Back, Many Centuries Ago Chapter 2: Black and White and Red All Over Chapter 3: Different for Girls Chapter 4: The Excrement of the Head Chapter 5: Sinners and Stunners Chapter 6: Rapunzel, Rapunzel Chapter 7: Freaks of Fashion Chapter 8: Redhead Days

About the Author :
Jacky Colliss Harvey is a writer and editor. She studied English at Cambridge University and History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She has worked in museum publishing for the last 20 years and is a commentator and reviewer who speaks in both the UK and abroad on the arts and popular culture. Her red hair has also found her an alternative career as a life model and a film extra playing everything from a society lady in Atonement to a Parisian whore in Bel-Ami. She lives in London.

Review :
Engagingly informative. Colliss Harvey is an engaging narrator. She sets scenes and creates immediacy. She writes eloquently, sometimes humorously, often rousingly. [A] bright and breezy cultural history. A feisty study of red hair through the ages. An entertaining romp through the meaning and mythology of red hair. I devoured the book. Red is an engaging read, playful and smart, packed with facts but never boggy with them. It is both a study and a celebration. It is also the perfect gift idea for any redheads in your life (you're welcome). A fascinating new book. Red is an important, fascinating read for redheads - and others - everywhere. A fascinating new book. Jacky Colliss Harvey sets out to discover everything - what it takes to make a redhead, where in the world they come from and why they exist at all... [Her] project is personal... Red is a memoir as well as a study. Wide-ranging... Hard to resist. Harvey uses her hair color as a lens to explore the history of mankind... A colorful take on human perceptions and beliefs. Red: A Natural History of the Redhead examines the history of red hair through the ages, as well as focusing on modern-day attitudes to people with red hair. She is as comfortable with the science as she is with cultural history... Jacky Collis Harvey is especially informative on red hair in painting. A light touch and a lively style... intellectually wide-ranging and searching when it comes to issues of discrimination. Jacky Colliss Harvey - herself a redhead - does a good job of trouncing some of the most flagrant myths. Red: A Natural History of the Redhead looks at the influence and symbolism of red hair through the ages and in aspects of life such as science, religion, politics, feminism and sexuality, advertising, literature and art. Harvey is eloquent on the cultural expectations that surround redheads.