A History of Marriage
by Elizabeth Abbott
Seven Stories Press | April 2011 | 464 Pages | ISBN: 1609800885 | ePUB/PDF | 11/13.2 mb 
https://www.amazon.com/A-History-Marriage-Elizabeth-Abbott/dp/1609800885
PDF conversion is mine.

What does the "tradition of marriage" really look like? In A History of Marriage, Elizabeth Abbott paints an often surprising picture of this most public, yet most intimate, institution. Ritual of romance, or social obligation? Eternal bliss, or cult of domesticity? Abbott reveals a complex tradition that includes same-sex unions, arranged marriages, dowries, self-marriages, and child brides. Marriage—in all its loving, unloving, decadent, and impoverished manifestations—is revealed here through Abbott's infectious curiosity.

About the Author
Elizabeth Abbott is a writer, lecturer and historian with a special interest in women's issues, social justice, the treatment of animals, and the environment. She has a doctorate from McGill University in 19th century history. Her most recent book, A History of Marriage, completes her trilogy about human relationships following A History of Celibacy and A History of Mistresses. A History of Marriage was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. Her previous book, Sugar: A Bittersweet History, inspired by her Antiguan heritage, was short-listed for the 2009 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. Born in Montreal, she has lived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and now resides in Toronto. She is a grandmother and owns three dogs.

CONTENTS
Part 1 Marriage in History
Introduction: The Way We (Really) Were
1. Husbands and Wives—Who Were They?
2. Learning Marriage, Rites of Passage
3. Weddings and the Married State
4. Love and Sex in Marriage
5. Marriage from within Four Walls
6. Go Forth and Multiply: Children at the Heart of Marriage
7. When Things Went Wrong
Part 2 Marriage in the Present and Future
Introduction: The Way We Think We Were and the Way We Think We Are
8. Unmarried and Often Single
9. A Gay Focus on the Nature of Marriage
10. Children and Parenting in Modern Marriages
11. For Richer or Poorer: Marriage and Money
12. Marriage and Race
13. Marriage Policies
14. Issues at the Heart of the Marriage Debate