...terrific history of personal hygiene...a wonderfully interesting and amusing book. * Daily Mail *
(A) very enjoyable read. * Catholic Herald *
This is perhaps the final irony in this splendid exercise in cultural relativism: that we can be too clean. * The Tablet *
...highly entertaining, nicely illustrated history of washing. * The List *
Ashenburg is a lively and entertaining guide... this is a sparkling, discursive and witty history: good, clean fun. -- Cressida Connolly * New Statesman *
Ashenburg...rounds off with a splendid diatribe against American super-cleanliness, which, like every section of this book, is full of acute perceptions...The only possible complaint about Ashenburg's exceptionally enjoyable book is that, being beautifully designed and illustrated, it is not suitable for reading in the bath. -- John Carey * The Sunday Times *
In Clean Ashenburg rolls up her sleeves and takes us on an engaging tour pf hygiene through the ages. Her masterful mix of erudition and anecdote makes this a fascinating, fast-paced read...More than just a witty insight into washing, her book confronts our obsession with preening, plucking and perfuming our bodies so that we smell less like humans and more like exotic fruits...Thought-provoking, charming and great fodder for dinner-party chat, this is a memorable read. * Time Out *
A lively history of personal hygiene shows that cleanliness hasn't always been next to godliness... In Clean, Katherine Ashenburg tells the weird, zigzagging story of our most intimate rituals through lively, heavily-illustrated chronological chapters... Ashenburg is especially good on the differences to be found in hygiene around the world...If dire predictions about future water shortages turn out to be correct, Ashenburg's book will one day serve as the key text in defence of a dirtier way of life. -- Isabel Berwick * FT magazine *
Ashenburg's account of our changing attitudes to cleanliness is fascinating. * Waterstone's Quarterly *
As this enthralling journey through the bathrooms of history reveals, attitudes to cleanliness have ebbed and flowed...Where Clean succeeds brilliantly is in the liberal use of fascinating facts, quotes and anecdotes. Ashenburg has clearly had fun writing this book. You'll enjoy reading it. * BBC Focus *
...entertaining tale of changing attitudes to cleanliness. * Guardian *
(M)eticulous tome on the history of personal hygiene. * Esquire *
(F)ascinating and entertaining. * Country Life *
The history of cleanliness is a fascinating one, and one that Ashenburg chronicles to perfection in her excellent book... a glorious romp...full of interesting facts and peppered with anecdotes and quotes...I can guarantee that you will find this book totally engaging. * Oxford Times *
Amazing factoids abound in this charming history of personal hygiene. * Tatler *
The history of soap and water is a refreshing read. -- Jamie Merrell * The Independent *
An entertaining book that really does belong in the bathroom'. -- Claire Allfree * Metro *
Awash with smart allusions from the Iliad to Ian McEwan, absorbing on Roman water-heating or Victorian soap, this finely-illustrated survey turns on a foaming jacuzzi for the mind. -- Boyd Tonkin * The Independent *