Purchase
A History of the First Day from Babylonia to the Super Bowl
Doubleday
April 2007
On Sale: March 27, 2007
464 pages
ISBN: 038551039X
EAN: 9780385510394
Hardcover
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction
The mere mention of “Sunday” will immediately conjure up a
rich mix of memories, associations, and ideas for most
anyone of any age. Whatever we think of—be it attending
church, reading a bulky newspaper, eating brunch, or
watching football— Sunday occupies a unique place in Western
civilization. But how did we come to have a day with such a
singular set of traditions? Here, historian Craig Harline examines Sunday from its
ancient beginnings to recent America in a fascinating blend
of facts and anecdotes. For early Christians, the first day
of the week was a time to celebrate the liturgy and observe
the Resurrection. But over time, Sunday in the Western world
took on still other meanings and rituals, especially in the
addition of both rest and recreation to the day’s
activities. Harline illuminates these changes in
enlightening profiles of Sunday in medieval Catholic
England, Sunday in the Reformation, and Sunday in
nineteenth-century France—home of the most envied and
sometimes despised Sunday of the modern world. He continues
with moving portraits of soldiers and civilians observing
Sunday during World War I, examines the quiet Sunday of
England in the 1930s, and concludes with the convergence of
various European traditions in the American Sunday, which
also adds some distinctly original habits of its own,
including in the realms of commerce and professional sports. With engaging prose and scholarly integrity, Sunday is an
entertaining and long-overdue look at a significant hallmark
of Western culture.
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy