At Day’s Close – A. Roger Ekirch

You wouldn’t think that the concept of night could be that different over time – most of us do sleep through it, after all. But this book explores how things were indeed different in the days before modern lighting (concentrating on the West).

Not only was it considered a separate “season”, but there are many subtle differences to the way night behaviors were perceived before modern lighting changed things entirely. Reading about the activities that went on was interesting enough, but I was fascinated to see that our sleep patterns have changed since that time. Most people slept for two distinct periods of time, with a good hour in between those times that could be used for anything from quiet contemplation in bed to actual home activity. We’ve only been sleeping through the night (assuming you’re in a position to do so), in modern times.

Interesting book with a window on a part of the old world you may never have thought about, but turns out to be fascinating.