Description

A New York Times bestseller, Red is the first book to explore the history of red hair and red-headedness throughout the world.

With an obsessive fascination that is as contagious as it is compelling, Jacky Colliss Harvey explores 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.

Colliss Harvey 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.

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

Publisher Review

Authoritative and beautifully illustrated, Red is a captivating read, whatever your natural hair colour. * Daily Mail * Colliss Harvey is an engaging narrator. She sets scenes and creates immediacy. She writes eloquently, sometimes humorously, often rousingly. * Independent * [A] bright and breezy cultural history. * Telegraph * A feisty study of red hair through the ages. * Mail on Sunday * 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). -- Emma Jane Unsworth * Big Issue * A fascinating new book. * Vogue US * Red is an important, fascinating read for redheads - and others - everywhere. * Elle US * A fascinating new book. * Guardian * 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. * Spectator * Wide-ranging... Hard to resist. * Country Life * 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. * Irish Examiner * She is as comfortable with the science as she is with cultural history...Colliss Harvey is especially informative on red hair in painting. * Oldie * Harvey is eloquent on the cultural expectations that surround redheads * TLS * A light touch and a lively style... intellectually wide-ranging and searching when it comes to issues of discrimination. * Wall Street Journal *