Sure to be popular in the hipper precincts of Brooklyn (to say nothing of the Pacific Northwest), this eccentric Victorian volume makes a strong case for the universal wearing of beards.Reminding us that since ancient times the beard has been an essential symbol of manly distinction, Thomas S. Gowing (whom we trust had a spectacular beard) presents a moral case for eschewing the bitter bite of the razor. He contrasts the vigor and daring of the beardedsay, lumberjacks and Lincolnwith the undeniable effeminacy of the shaven. Manliness is found in the follicles, and the modern man should not forget that ladies, by their very nature, like everything manly,” and cannot fail to be charmed by a fine flow of curling comeliness.” Even old men can hold on to their vitality via their beards: The Beard keeps gradually covering, varying and beautifying, and imparts new graces even to decay, by highlighting all that is still pleasing, veiling all that is repulsive.”A truly strange polemic, The Philosophy of Beards is as charming as it is bizarre, the perfect gift for the manly man in your life.
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"The absence of Beard is usually a sign of physical and moral weakness." "Take two drawings of the head of a lion, one with and the other without the mane. You will see how much of the majesty of the king of the woods, as well as that of the lord of the earth, dwells in this free-flowing appendage." "There is scarcely a more naturally disgusting object than a beardless old man. The Beard keeps gradually covering, varying and beautifying, and imparts new graces even to decay, by heightening all that is still pleasing, veiling all that is repulsive." This eccentric Victorian book argues a strong case for the universal wearing of a beard—that essential symbol of manly distinction since ancient times. Thomas S. Gowing contrasts the vigor and daring of bearded men through history with the undeniable effeminacy of the clean-shaven. He reminds the modern man that "ladies, by their very nature, like everything manly," and cannot fail to be charmed by a "fine flow of curling comeliness." Gowing's book is now republished for the first time since 1850, accompanied by illustrations of impressive beards from history.
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