How Underwear Got Under There

A humorous look at the science, fashion, and social ramifications of underwear throughout history.

I see London, I see France...here’s a book about underpants! Did you know that warriors at the time of Genghis Khan invented arrow-resistant silk underwear? Or that the recommended age to begin wearing a corset in the late 1800s was four years old? Or that King Tut had a particular fondness for underwear? He was buried with 145 pairs! This lively text consists of ten chapters on various aspects of underwear, including the social and historical ramifications of different undergarments and their development for warmth, support, protection, cleanliness, and status. Regan Dunnick’s clever illustrations and Kathy Shaskan's accessible text is giggle-worthy, page-turning, and well-researched. From boxers to bustles to briefs, from history to humor, from support to society, the story of underwear is the story of humanity itself. “Most highly recommended.”—Children’s Literature “Certain to keep young readers in, so to speak, stitches.”—Kirkus Reviews

A humorous look at the science, fashion, and social ramifications of underwear throughout history.

Packed with information, hilariously but accurately (well...except for the chickens) illustrated, Hannah Holt and Korwin Briggs' A History of Underwear with Professor Chicken is sure to wedge its way into the annals of history-based picture books. From Paleolithic loincloths to Henry VIII's wives wearing underwear on their heads to Mary Walker, a civil war surgeon who was arrested for wearing men's underwear and clothing to better work on patients, this book surveys the vast and fascinating history of our most private clothing. Modeled by chickens, we trace the history of underwear from the very first discovery- a paleolithic nomad whose body was found completely preserved in ice. From there, we look across time and culture in this completely accessible, new take on boring old nonfiction picture books.

Pop-ups and lifting flaps illustrate factual information about the history of underwear

Men’s fashion, particularly the trends involving undergarments, was once reserved for the elite; today it has become democratised, clear proof of social progress.The aestheticism of the body so highly valued by the Greeks seems to have regained a prominent place in the masculine world. Mirroring the evolution of society’s values, the history of underwear also highlights the continuous, dancing exchange that exists between women’s styles and men’s fashion. Undergarments are concealed, flaunted, stretched or shortened, establishing a game between yesterday’s illicit and today’s chic and thereby denouncing the sense of disgrace that these simple pieces of clothing used to betray. In this work, Shaun Cole endeavours to re-establish for the first time, through well-researched socio-economic analysis, the importance of men’s underwear in the history of costume from ancient times to today. A reflection of technological progress, this study is full of surprises and powerful reflections on man’s relationship with his body.

Have you ever wondered: What did Julius Caesar Caesar wear under his toga? What underwear craze did Marie Antoinette start when she was the Queen of France? What was the most popular underwear ever invented? Lift the flaps & see the history of underwear -- from prehistoric to modern times. Accurate in every detail, bursting with information, & appropriate for all ages, this brief history tastefully reveals the answers to these questions & more. Filled with interactive pop-ups & little-known historical details, this humorous & informative book for all ages answers the question everyone wants to ask.