One Thousand Mustaches

The 'stache is back! After decades of being much maligned in Western culture, the mustache is enjoying a cultural renaissance, thanks to the annual phenomenon of Movember (the international campaign in which men grow facial hair during the month of November to raise funds for prostate cancer research; in 2011, 1.8 million men in fourteen countries participated), and the retro/modern mo's sported by the likes of Ryan Gosling, Ashton Kutcher, and James Franco. Shaving companies are offering new-fangled mustache groomers, and even Dr Seuss's mustachioed The Lorax has made a comeback. One Thousand Mustaches is both a lighthearted cultural history and an earnest style manual: it's the story of the 'stache through the ages and its manifestations in politics, war, movies, music, sports, and art, as well as information on various 'stache styles and how to grow and wear them with pride. The book also includes numerous photos and drawings throughout. Contemplating a handlebar or considering a Fu Manchu? Find them and more styles here in One Thousand Mustaches: a book for those with mo's, and those who love 'em. Allan Peterkin is the author of One Thousand Beards and co-author of The Bearded Gentleman.

Every man has the capacity to grow facial hair, but the decision to do so has always come with layers of meaning. Facial hair has traditionally marked a passage into manhood, but its manifestations have been determined by class, religion, history and occupational status. In the end, the act of displaying facial hair is still regarded as a form of ultimate cool. With wit and insight, One Thousand Beards delves into the historical, contemporary and cultural meaning of facial hair in all of its forms, complete with numerous photographs and illustrations.

Beards—they’re all the rage these days. Take a look around: from hip urbanites to rustic outdoorsmen, well-groomed metrosexuals to post-season hockey players, facial hair is everywhere. The New York Times traces this hairy trend to Big Apple hipsters circa 2005 and reports that today some New Yorkers pay thousands of dollars for facial hair transplants to disguise patchy, juvenile beards. And in 2014, blogger Nicki Daniels excoriated bearded hipsters for turning a symbol of manliness and power into a flimsy fashion statement. The beard, she said, has turned into the padded bra of masculinity. Of Beards and Men makes the case that today’s bearded renaissance is part of a centuries-long cycle in which facial hairstyles have varied in response to changing ideals of masculinity. Christopher Oldstone-Moore explains that the clean-shaven face has been the default style throughout Western history—see Alexander the Great’s beardless face, for example, as the Greek heroic ideal. But the primacy of razors has been challenged over the years by four great bearded movements, beginning with Hadrian in the second century and stretching to today’s bristled resurgence. The clean-shaven face today, Oldstone-Moore says, has come to signify a virtuous and sociable man, whereas the beard marks someone as self-reliant and unconventional. History, then, has established specific meanings for facial hair, which both inspire and constrain a man’s choices in how he presents himself to the world. This fascinating and erudite history of facial hair cracks the masculine hair code, shedding light on the choices men make as they shape the hair on their faces. Oldstone-Moore adeptly lays to rest common misperceptions about beards and vividly illustrates the connection between grooming, identity, culture, and masculinity. To a surprising degree, we find, the history of men is written on their faces.

"This book is groundbreaking, at once highly original, courageous, and moving. It is sure to have a tremendous impact in Iranian studies, modern Middle East history, and the history of gender and sexuality."—Beth Baron, author of Egypt as a Woman "This is an extraordinary book. It rereads the story of Iranian modernity through the lens of gender and sexuality in ways that no other scholars have done."—Joan W. Scott, author of Gender and the Politics of History

Roy & Al is the first English-language book by Europe’s most popular gay cartoonist, Germany’s Ralf König, whose collections have sold over 250,000 copies and have been translated into five languages. Roy & Al is a hilarious, erotically charged series of gay comics starring two dogs whose owners are dating. Al, a purebred, is rather fey, and treats the unsophisticated with disdain, while Roy, a mongrel, is coarser and more down-to-earth (and a tad overweight). Any similarities between masters and dogs are strictly intentional. Roy & Al is an uproarious vision of contemporary gay life through the eyes of man’s best friend.

A raga is a melodic composition in Indian classical music that imparts certain emotions. Ragas From the Periphery is a collection that uses language as its instrument. Phinder Dulai is first and foremost a South Asian writer, and while issues of identity and cultural immersion are central to his work, they are not all-encompassing. His poems are intimate landscapes in which themes of work, family, and community are always present. Crossing cultures linguistically and metaphorically, Ragas From the Periphery is an impressive debut collection.

For centuries, men have been growing and styling their facial hair, whether for the sake of vanity, religion, or cultural considerations, but most of us don’t give it a second thought. The Bearded Gentleman is an authoritative yet lighthearted guide that offers detailed information on some fifty specific facial hair styles: where they come from, how to grow them, and how to maintain them. Among them are many well-known styles, such as the Handlebar, the Fu Manchu, the Goatee, the Van Dyck, and the more recent Soul Patch. But there are also those that are less familiar, including the Horseshoe, the Lampshade, the Painter’s Brush, the Landing Strip, the French Fork, and El Insecto (a.k.a. the Mighty). There’s also practical advice on choosing a facial hair style that’s right for you, as well as insight into how facial hair has figured in the history of masculinity, including its impact on politics, class, and sexuality. The Bearded Gentleman is an entertaining, witty, and useful guide to facial hair styles and the men who wear them. Allan Peterkin’s previous books include One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair, featured in Time, Esquire, and The New Yorker. Nick Burns is one of the leading writers on men’s grooming; he has covered skin care, fashion, and health for publications including The New York Times, GQ, Details, and Out, and he is author of the popular men’s style blog HommeGrooming.com.

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