On Ugliness edited by Umberto Eco

On Ugliness, edited by renowned Italian novelist, philosopher and semiotician Umberto Eco, is a richly illustrated exploration of humanity’s changing ideas about ugliness, deformity, horror, monstrosity and the grotesque throughout Western cultural history.

Originally published in Italian as Storia della bruttezza in 2007, this English-language edition was translated by Alastair McEwen and first published in Great Britain by Harvill Secker in the same year. Rather than treating ugliness simply as the opposite of beauty, Eco examines how perceptions of what is disturbing, repulsive, comic or grotesque have changed dramatically across different historical periods.

Drawing on philosophy, literature, religion, mythology and the visual arts, the book ranges across centuries of Western culture. Monsters, demons, death, disease, caricature, decadence, the macabre and artistic representations of physical imperfection all contribute to a fascinating history of the aesthetics of ugliness.

The extensive text is complemented by a remarkable selection of reproductions from paintings, sculptures, manuscripts and other works of art. Eco combines these images with historical writings and commentary to demonstrate how societies have repeatedly redefined the boundaries between beauty and ugliness.

This impressive large-format hardcover is both an intellectually engaging cultural study and an attractive art book. It is particularly suitable for collectors and readers interested in Umberto Eco, art history, aesthetics, philosophy, cultural history and the history of ideas.

Condition – Near Fine

Near fine 2007 hardcover in a near fine dust jacket. The black illustrated dust jacket shows only light signs of shelf wear and handling. The white hardcover boards underneath are very well preserved, with only a few minor marks visible. Internally the book is clean and very well preserved overall.