Chinese Footbinding: The History of a Curious Erotic Custom

Levy, Howard S. [Foreword by Arthur Waley, Introduction by Wolfram Eberhard ]

ISBN 10: 9576380286 / ISBN 13: 9789576380280

Published by SMC Publishing Inc., 1966

About this Item

A very good copy of the hard cover edition in a very good (not price-clipped) dust-jacket. Faint underlining in pencil on approx. two dozen pages, else unmarked ;the binding and jacket are bright and fresh in appearance. A sharp copy.

Seller Inventory # 022623

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Chinese Footbinding: The History of a Curious Erotic Custom
• Publisher: SMC Publishing Inc.
• Publication Date: 1966
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9576380286
• ISBN 13: 9789576380280
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

This is the first complete history of the custom of footbinding, which persisted for a thousand years in China. Drawn from the erotic literature of traditional China and more contemporary sources, this is a detailed portrait of a practice that lay at the heart of the sexual psychology of the Chinese for whom the golden lotus or bound foot encased in tiny silken slipper and swaying willow walk of bound-footed women were the ultimate expressions of sensuality. But as the author shows, footbinding was more than an erotic custom; it was also central to the sociological position and role of women in Chinese society. The book deals with the origin, presence, and history of foot binding, the techniques associated with it, its place in erotic practices, the pain and pleasure of the custom, and its sociological importance.