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Wiped: The Curious History of Toilet Paper
How did people clean their rear ends before the invention of paper? The ancient Greeks used stones! Really! This rear-window view of the history of the world also details how the kings and queens of England and France wiped their royal asses? Not like you and I. What does Judaism, Islam and Buddhism have to say about this act? Surprisingly a lot. How did an ass-kisser -- that is, man who actually kissed his patron’s ass -- almost become pope. Who is the real father of toilet paper? You won’t find the answer on the Internet. Why do most people in the world think that wiping with paper is disgusting? Is there a better way? This is the first book ever written which presents a well-documented history of something that every human being has done every day since the beginning of time.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
166 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2013
121 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 24, 2020
It's a very interesting read and the language is very humorous. In addition to stones being used as toilet paper, silk can also be made into toilet paper. Some ancient Chinese toilet paper was made from silk. These toilet papers were specially provided for the emperor's use. Palace maids would even take the initiative to collect the emperor's toilet paper and wash it to make curtains.
October 7, 2025
Like the title says, a short history of toilet paper. Informative and enjoyable, with some research behind it. However, the Polish translation really suffers. There are typos, mistakes, and even some issues with formatting. The chapter added to the Polish edition is pure marketing of a toilet paper producer written mostly in words that nobody outside of marketing uses.
October 9, 2019
TP
This book is an excellent entertaining romp about the history of toilet tissue. You should give it a perusal. Excellent.
This book is an excellent entertaining romp about the history of toilet tissue. You should give it a perusal. Excellent.
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January 24, 2022Our favorite podcast, 99 Percent Invisible, did a show on the great toilet paper shortage of the pandemic of 2020. They asked, how did something come to be considered a necessity of life when not so long ago in the past, it didn’t even exist? This book was one of the ones they featured, and I believe they interviewed the author.
Ronald Blumer is usually the writer of TV documentaries and movies. He describes how he was visiting Ephesus, in Turkey, where there is an ancient Roman communal toilet. How, he wondered, did people wipe their butts before toilet paper was invented? He thought he would just go home and Google it. He found nothing. Despite its importance to human life, the subject of poop and how we wipe it has hardly been written about. So he set out to write the book himself.
What follows is a holy mess. He has collected obscure quotations and some very odd illustrations from all over the world and from centuries back. Some reviewers have noted that he called the Turkish Library of Celsus the Library of Celsius, and wondered what other errors might be scattered through the text. But there is no denying Blumer had done a huge amount of research, and there is a bibliography in back, and a list of websites, and footnotes.
He begins by an examination of cultural attitudes toward cleanliness in general. Europe lagged behind much of the world in this regard, and he quotes some Christian authorities of the middle ages who claimed that to stink was holy, since the physical body was evil, and to indulge it an evil. Modern marketing would have to sell the idea of soap, and then of bathtubs.
There is a history of the development of the toilet. In the beginning people just pooped outdoors. Apparently even in the elaborate gardens of fancy Versailles, people were taking dumps behind the shrubbery. People pooped indoors in pots, and dumped the pots into rivers and streets. Rich people hid their pots in a “close-stool” that might be decorated with velvet and gold.
Outdoor privies were just holes in the ground, which might at some point be emptied, if they got to overflowing, but were usually left to rot and stink. The key to the invention of the indoor toilet was the S-valve, which kept sewer gases from rising back up into the house. That was invented in 1775 by Alexander Cummings, and is still central to every toilet made today.
But how did people wipe? Originally with leaves, stones, and sticks. The stones and sticks confused me, but they were used more for scraping than for wiping. Once paper was invented, people used all kinds of paper, including pages of books, and eventually newspapers. Corn cobs were popular. They were dropped down into the privy, so there was no worry about clogging the plumbing. There was no plumbing.
It was indoor toilets that made toilet paper necessary. Perforated paper on a roll was invented in 1871 by Seth Wheeler, and the Scott company went on to make a fortune off the stuff in 1874. There follows a discussion of the tricky business of marketing toilet paper, since community standards wouldn’t allow its actual function to be described, merely hinted at in a series of euphemisms. People who still had privies didn’t even want toilet paper, since corn cobs were free.
There is also a discussion of the question of whether it is better to wipe or to wash. Toilet paper is really not that good at removing poop (although a lot better than newspapers). Sometimes it just smears it around. Much of the middle east has a tradition of washing with water and one’s hand, which led to another tradition that the left hand was always used for butt-wiping, and the right hand was always used for eating and other clean things. Sometimes there were special pitchers with spouts for this purpose. Europe developed the bidet, and France ran with that. Japan developed toilets with built-in water sprayers.
The author’s conclusion is that washing is cleaner, but that people are very reluctant to change their bathroom habits. This conservatism regarding anything related to defecation has led to a failure to address sanitation systems in much of the world, and has resulted in multiple deaths from disease.
And that original question? How did the ancient Romans wipe their butts in the old stone 60-seater toilet? They used a sponge on a stick, dipped in water. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it was a communal sponge, and many people used the same one. They rinsed it off in a stream of running water, but still. You can't say this subject isn't interesting.
Ronald Blumer is usually the writer of TV documentaries and movies. He describes how he was visiting Ephesus, in Turkey, where there is an ancient Roman communal toilet. How, he wondered, did people wipe their butts before toilet paper was invented? He thought he would just go home and Google it. He found nothing. Despite its importance to human life, the subject of poop and how we wipe it has hardly been written about. So he set out to write the book himself.
What follows is a holy mess. He has collected obscure quotations and some very odd illustrations from all over the world and from centuries back. Some reviewers have noted that he called the Turkish Library of Celsus the Library of Celsius, and wondered what other errors might be scattered through the text. But there is no denying Blumer had done a huge amount of research, and there is a bibliography in back, and a list of websites, and footnotes.
He begins by an examination of cultural attitudes toward cleanliness in general. Europe lagged behind much of the world in this regard, and he quotes some Christian authorities of the middle ages who claimed that to stink was holy, since the physical body was evil, and to indulge it an evil. Modern marketing would have to sell the idea of soap, and then of bathtubs.
There is a history of the development of the toilet. In the beginning people just pooped outdoors. Apparently even in the elaborate gardens of fancy Versailles, people were taking dumps behind the shrubbery. People pooped indoors in pots, and dumped the pots into rivers and streets. Rich people hid their pots in a “close-stool” that might be decorated with velvet and gold.
Outdoor privies were just holes in the ground, which might at some point be emptied, if they got to overflowing, but were usually left to rot and stink. The key to the invention of the indoor toilet was the S-valve, which kept sewer gases from rising back up into the house. That was invented in 1775 by Alexander Cummings, and is still central to every toilet made today.
But how did people wipe? Originally with leaves, stones, and sticks. The stones and sticks confused me, but they were used more for scraping than for wiping. Once paper was invented, people used all kinds of paper, including pages of books, and eventually newspapers. Corn cobs were popular. They were dropped down into the privy, so there was no worry about clogging the plumbing. There was no plumbing.
It was indoor toilets that made toilet paper necessary. Perforated paper on a roll was invented in 1871 by Seth Wheeler, and the Scott company went on to make a fortune off the stuff in 1874. There follows a discussion of the tricky business of marketing toilet paper, since community standards wouldn’t allow its actual function to be described, merely hinted at in a series of euphemisms. People who still had privies didn’t even want toilet paper, since corn cobs were free.
There is also a discussion of the question of whether it is better to wipe or to wash. Toilet paper is really not that good at removing poop (although a lot better than newspapers). Sometimes it just smears it around. Much of the middle east has a tradition of washing with water and one’s hand, which led to another tradition that the left hand was always used for butt-wiping, and the right hand was always used for eating and other clean things. Sometimes there were special pitchers with spouts for this purpose. Europe developed the bidet, and France ran with that. Japan developed toilets with built-in water sprayers.
The author’s conclusion is that washing is cleaner, but that people are very reluctant to change their bathroom habits. This conservatism regarding anything related to defecation has led to a failure to address sanitation systems in much of the world, and has resulted in multiple deaths from disease.
And that original question? How did the ancient Romans wipe their butts in the old stone 60-seater toilet? They used a sponge on a stick, dipped in water. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it was a communal sponge, and many people used the same one. They rinsed it off in a stream of running water, but still. You can't say this subject isn't interesting.
May 19, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was absolutely hilarious and totally scandalous and gross and I learned a ton! I was either laughing,eyes were popping out in horror or eyebrows constantly shooting up with surprise.
This book does cover the hideous history of toilet paper but it covers all that came before toilet paper and the history of, well, doing it,the world over and the lack of hygiene. It covers the evolution of toilets and toilet paper right down to today with bizarre modern advertisements and gadgets.
I was stunned by how stinking and repulsive people were back in what we believe were glamourous and very proper times. They weren't,I'm never going to think of Victorians or kings or palaces like Versailles the same way again. Everyone just..did their thing in the ballroom corners or on the staircase. Dresses and shirt-tails were stained and everyone stank. There were royal bottom wipers,poor souls. Some religions and people never bathed at all and some didn't believe in wiping at all. I was stunned.
There are some extremely vulgar bits in the book, including a letter from some guy to his wife which was really barfy,I loved it,lol. Lots of old engravings that are very blatant too. This book isn't for you if you don't like bathroom humour or gross stuff,I love both.
An absolutely fantastic book, exceedingly educational and fascinating. I can't wait to read his other peculiar history books!
This book does cover the hideous history of toilet paper but it covers all that came before toilet paper and the history of, well, doing it,the world over and the lack of hygiene. It covers the evolution of toilets and toilet paper right down to today with bizarre modern advertisements and gadgets.
I was stunned by how stinking and repulsive people were back in what we believe were glamourous and very proper times. They weren't,I'm never going to think of Victorians or kings or palaces like Versailles the same way again. Everyone just..did their thing in the ballroom corners or on the staircase. Dresses and shirt-tails were stained and everyone stank. There were royal bottom wipers,poor souls. Some religions and people never bathed at all and some didn't believe in wiping at all. I was stunned.
There are some extremely vulgar bits in the book, including a letter from some guy to his wife which was really barfy,I loved it,lol. Lots of old engravings that are very blatant too. This book isn't for you if you don't like bathroom humour or gross stuff,I love both.
An absolutely fantastic book, exceedingly educational and fascinating. I can't wait to read his other peculiar history books!
November 4, 2024
It is impossible for humans to complete the grunting squat action without there being some residue. In the need for cleanliness and overall health, humans have found it necessary to wipe afterward. It is only recently that toilet paper as we know it has been widely available, so over the years, other items have served the purpose.
Stones, leaves and even seashells have served the purpose, with the obvious wide differences in comfort. The author is somewhat of a pioneer in that he found the background research difficult as there was very little written about cleaning oneself after losing a load. I was reminded that the use of toilet paper is more recent than at first thought. My great-aunt lived on a farm with her husband, and they struggled to make ends meet. They used corncobs to wipe.
This book is a rare one in that it is amusing, educational and contains original historical research. The topic is one that does not often appear in historical literature. This is one of the most amusing books that I have ever read. It is well written with a lot of double meaning words and phrases. Which is as it should be for there are many euphemisms for the act being described.
Stones, leaves and even seashells have served the purpose, with the obvious wide differences in comfort. The author is somewhat of a pioneer in that he found the background research difficult as there was very little written about cleaning oneself after losing a load. I was reminded that the use of toilet paper is more recent than at first thought. My great-aunt lived on a farm with her husband, and they struggled to make ends meet. They used corncobs to wipe.
This book is a rare one in that it is amusing, educational and contains original historical research. The topic is one that does not often appear in historical literature. This is one of the most amusing books that I have ever read. It is well written with a lot of double meaning words and phrases. Which is as it should be for there are many euphemisms for the act being described.
April 17, 2020
Ouch - only 9th book I've rated one star (out of over 400 ratings) Why:
1. History of Toilet Paper - got through more than 1/3 of book - author hadn't gotten to TP yet.
2. Opening chapter refers to the "Library of Celsius" in Turkey, then refers to the NY Library as another "Celsius". The Library of Celsus is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, Anatolia. Celsius is the temperature scale named after Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius.
3. Presents legend of "Pope Joan" as fact. This 14th century legend about a Pope who was actually a female came about hundreds of years after the alleged reign.
4. AND he gets the legend wrong - "Pope Joan" had a short reigh (less than 3 years) He claims that Pope John VIII- a respected Pope with more than 10 years was Joan (and the dates of the legend are wrong too>
1. History of Toilet Paper - got through more than 1/3 of book - author hadn't gotten to TP yet.
2. Opening chapter refers to the "Library of Celsius" in Turkey, then refers to the NY Library as another "Celsius". The Library of Celsus is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, Anatolia. Celsius is the temperature scale named after Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius.
3. Presents legend of "Pope Joan" as fact. This 14th century legend about a Pope who was actually a female came about hundreds of years after the alleged reign.
4. AND he gets the legend wrong - "Pope Joan" had a short reigh (less than 3 years) He claims that Pope John VIII- a respected Pope with more than 10 years was Joan (and the dates of the legend are wrong too>
May 3, 2020
The toilet paper shortage made me curious as to when did the world start using paper to wipe one's rear-end. I went looking to see if there was anything written on the subject. an Amazon search revealed this book, it was only $4.99 for the Kindle version.
If one has a weak stomach for vulgar words, this book might not be for you. He uses the excrement quite a bit for what leaves our body, but he also uses the word s**t.
Mr. Blumer laments that there was not much historically written on the subject which caused him to do a lot of research. He goes back quite a bit. he does cover how toilet paper came to be, but one might wonder if he was not hired by the bidet industry to write this book as he makes quite a case that using a bidet would be more sanitary and healthy. He points out that there are a lot of diseases caused by improper cleaning of oneself after taking a dump.
It's a short easy read. The book is only 166 pages long. I do not regret the short time invested in reading this book in that I feel that I know more about toilet paper and toilet hygiene.
If one has a weak stomach for vulgar words, this book might not be for you. He uses the excrement quite a bit for what leaves our body, but he also uses the word s**t.
Mr. Blumer laments that there was not much historically written on the subject which caused him to do a lot of research. He goes back quite a bit. he does cover how toilet paper came to be, but one might wonder if he was not hired by the bidet industry to write this book as he makes quite a case that using a bidet would be more sanitary and healthy. He points out that there are a lot of diseases caused by improper cleaning of oneself after taking a dump.
It's a short easy read. The book is only 166 pages long. I do not regret the short time invested in reading this book in that I feel that I know more about toilet paper and toilet hygiene.
April 11, 2020
With our world's current supply chain issues in mind, you might enjoy this history of bum wiping. This includes an overview of bum cleansing methods throughout history and methods used around the world today.
April 19, 2020
I wanted to like this book but the obvious and verifiably incorrect information about "Pope Joan" being presented as fact made me question the extent of the authors research and fact checking. Put a real damper on the rest of the book for me.
April 29, 2023
What a read!
I enjoy reading about public health, the origins of disease, and lists of unusual facts & trivia. This book is a nice intersection of all these interests. Note: NOT a book to be read during mealtimes.
I enjoy reading about public health, the origins of disease, and lists of unusual facts & trivia. This book is a nice intersection of all these interests. Note: NOT a book to be read during mealtimes.
September 11, 2025
After a multi year journey I finished this book on the plane home. I found myself laughing aloud throughout the book. It is apparently well researched and the author maintains an informative and humorous tone. One of the more surprising and delightful books I’ve read in a while. Superb.
November 23, 2024
Amusing and seems thorough.
January 14, 2014
A fast and easy read, I picked this book up to support a paper for a global business class. It would never have crossed my radar otherwise.
While I cannot recommend it as a general read, as a history of "ass wiping" the book definitely delivers. If this topic is of interest to you, you probably won't find a better resource. Actually, you probably won't find any other resource. As the author points out, there just isn't much out there. For something that we all do, there's just not much attention paid to it.
The language is direct and uses the modern vernacular. Some of the images (hemorrhoids anyone?) are quite graphic. In no way did I find anything offensive, but it's definitely not edited for "polite company".
While I cannot recommend it as a general read, as a history of "ass wiping" the book definitely delivers. If this topic is of interest to you, you probably won't find a better resource. Actually, you probably won't find any other resource. As the author points out, there just isn't much out there. For something that we all do, there's just not much attention paid to it.
The language is direct and uses the modern vernacular. Some of the images (hemorrhoids anyone?) are quite graphic. In no way did I find anything offensive, but it's definitely not edited for "polite company".
April 20, 2014
An informative and very funny history of the evolution of toilet paper.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews