With his usual lucidity, Etienne Gilson addresses the idea that "art is the making of beauty for beauty's own sake." By distinguishing between aesthetics, which

-- First paperback edition.-- A lucid and deft argument for art as "the making of beauty for beauty's own sake", The Arts of the Beautiful brilliantly addresses

A best book of the year from New York Public Library, NPR, the Financial Times, Book Riot, and the Sunday Times (London). A fascinating, revelatory portrait of

This advice book to women details rules of hygiene and beauty and reflects the values placed on maintaining the image of the "lady."

Descriptions of dress, make-up, hair fashion, and physical beauty reflect the strict code of behavior regarding appearance in Victorian England.