The Lotus Lovers: The Complete History of the Curious Erotic Custom of Footbinding in China (Chinese Erotic and Sexual Classics) [Hardcover]

Howard S. Levy (Author), Wolfram Eberhard (Introduction), Arthur Waley (Foreword)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087975687X
• ISBN-13: 978-0879756871
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,626,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the Art, Method, Tolerance, and Endurance of Footbinding, May 22, 2000

By 

REBECCA WHITE - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lotus Lovers: The Complete History of the Curious Erotic Custom of Footbinding in China (Chinese Erotic and Sexual Classics) (Hardcover)

So much of the history of "common people" is lost, while history and journalism struggle to record the daily events of the notables. In The Lotus Lovers, Levy makes stars out of ordinary peasant women in China. He begins with the history of this intolerable practice, moves on to discuss the emancipation movements, then goes into the oral histories of the bound women. Any question one might have, from the method to the shoes, to the pain of life on bound feet, is answered in these riveting interviews. I highly recommend this book, as it gives significant insight to a culture so very different from our own. To see the types of shoes worn by these women, I suggest the book Splendid Slippers. Splendid Slippers is a "coffee table" summary of Levy's book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reprint of Chinese Footbinding, the History of a Curious Erotic Custom, March 11, 2011

By 

Jennifer Ball - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lotus Lovers: The Complete History of the Curious Erotic Custom of Footbinding in China (Chinese Erotic and Sexual Classics) (Hardcover)

This book is identical to Chinese Footbinding, the History of a Curious Erotic Custom, so if you own that, don't buy this as I did.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What we do for beauty., May 31, 2009

By 

Myrna L. Tipps "book lover" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lotus Lovers: The Complete History of the Curious Erotic Custom of Footbinding in China (Chinese Erotic and Sexual Classics) (Hardcover)

Fascinating book. Unique cultural views of what the women did for the sake of beauty within their era. We think of footbinding and the pain involved as strange. But in today's culture, we think nothing of getting plastic surgery in the form of breast implants, face lifts, botox and much more, all for the same reasons and just as painful. We cannot just enjoy what nature has given us but must add to, take away from, or somehow alter the body that we have received genetically from our parents.