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Born

A History of Childbirth

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Pub Date 28 Aug 2025 | Archive Date 21 Aug 2025

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Description

There is a history of humanity that has never been told: the story of how we are born.

Acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes us on an epic journey, one spanning hundreds of thousands of years – through the unheard stories of women to discover a history that has been overlooked and unrecorded.

From ancient Mesopotamian birthing practices to lost contraceptives of Ancient Rome, and the strange story of the feminists who fought for the right to forget childbirth, she explores the competing ideologies that have shaped so many lives and charts the battle for control over reproduction, birth and women’s bodies.

Bold and timely, this history raises vital questions about how we think about motherhood and pregnancy today, and is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand how we all came to be.

There is a history of humanity that has never been told: the story of how we are born.

Acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes us on an epic journey, one spanning hundreds of thousands of years...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781399414395
PRICE £25.00 (GBP)
PAGES 320

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Featured Reviews

Lucy Inglis’s Born is a remarkable and illuminating journey through one of the most universal yet underexplored aspects of human existence: childbirth. With her blend of meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Inglis brings to life the overlooked history of how we come into the world—centering women’s experiences across centuries and continents.

From the rituals of ancient civilizations to the political and medical battles of the modern era, this book is both deeply informative and profoundly human. Inglis does not shy away from the complexity of the subject, deftly weaving together cultural, social, and medical perspectives to show how childbirth has always been more than a biological event—it’s a reflection of power, belief, and identity.

Born is a bold, thought-provoking, and necessary work that challenges us to reconsider our assumptions about motherhood, medicine, and autonomy. It’s an essential read for anyone interested in history, gender studies, or simply in understanding how the story of birth is, in many ways, the story of us all.

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