How did marriage, considered a religious duty in medieval Europe, become a venue for personal fulfillment in contemporary America? How did the notion of romantic love, a novelty in the Middle Ages, become a prerequisite for marriage today? And, if the original purpose of marriage was procreation, what exactly is the purpose of marriage for women now?

Combining "a scholar's rigor and a storyteller's craft"(San Jose Mercury News), distinguished cultural historian Marilyn Yalom charts the evolution of marriage in the Judeo Christian world through the centuries and shows how radically our ideas about marriage have changed.

For any woman who is, has been, or ever will be married, this intellectually vigorous and gripping historical analysis of marriage sheds new light on an institution most people take for granted, and that may, in fact, be experiencing its most convulsive upheaval since the Reformation.

• We started tracking this book on December 16, 2011.
• This book was $10.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 157 times in the past 4,861 days.
• The current price of this book is $2.99 last checked one day ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $1.99.
• The lowest price to date was $1.99 last reached on February 2, 2025.
• This book has been $1.99 13 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $14.99 last reached on March 29, 2019.
• This book has been $14.99 4 times since we started tracking it.

• HistoryWorldEarly Civilization
• Health, Fitness & DietingRelationshipsMarriage & Long-Term Relationships
• HistoryWorldCivilization & Culture
• HistorySocial & CulturalLGBTQ+ & Gender Studies

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• File Size: 73 KB