Dirt: The Filthy Reality of Everyday Life

by Rosie Cox, Virginia Smith, Brian Ralph

Our relationship with dirt is complex and ambivalent. Dirt is waste, excrement, rubbish, bacteria—but what then is soil, where crops grow, and to which our bodies eventually return? Dirt may pose significant risks to our health, but it is also vital to our existence. Lavishly illustrated, this exciting and often startling book is a provocative introduction to a vast and complex subject. Five writers and a graphic novelist pursue different themes from a range of perspectives in order to examine dirt and its contradictions, including personal grooming, the politics of dirt in the home, city sanitation, and waste disposal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Microhistory, Science

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2011

Reviews

[Gill Mclauchlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cracking book - who knew a book about dirt could be fascinating and a page turner.

[Logan Streondj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes a great book or collection of essays on dirt and solid waste, it's history, cultural relevance at different times and different places. Worth archiving.