Strangers and Intimates : The Rise and Fall of Private Life - Tiffany Jenkins
Tiffany Jenkins
- Pages · 464 pages
- Publication Date · 14/05/2026
- Genre · Social issues & processes
An Economist Book of the Year'An intricate cultural history . . . Thought-provoking' - The Sunday Times
'Brilliantly original . . . Endlessly fascinating' - Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen
'Lucid and elegant' - The Daily TelegraphFrom ancient times to our digital present, Strangers and Intimates traces the dramatic emergence of private life, and argues that it is now in mortal danger. In this sweeping history, acclaimed cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins takes readers on an epic journey, from the strict separations of public and private in ancient Athens to the moral rigidity of the Victorian home, and from the feminists of the 1970s - who declared that `the personal is political' - to the boundary-blurring demands of our digital age. Strangers and Intimates is both a celebration of the private realm and a warning: as social media, surveillance and the expectations of constant openness reshape our lives, Jenkins asks a timely question: can private life survive the demands of the twenty-first century?
Only at Gulp Fiction
Book Lovers' Happy Hour
An hour and a half at the bar, with three cocktails matched to your taste and three books chosen for you. Tell us what you like when you book, and we'll have them waiting when you arrive.
- 1½ hours
- £60 per person
- 3 cocktails, 3 books
Up to four of you can come — book a place each and choose the same time slot, then tell us who you're with. For larger groups, email gulpfictionbooks@gmail.com and we'll arrange it.
Collect in store
Order online and pick it up from the shop. It's free, and usually quicker than the post.
Find us
Units 28–29, Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DU. Mon–Wed 10–5, Thu–Sat 10–10, Sun 11–4.
Book a table
The bar is open late Thursday to Saturday. Reserve a table for a drink among the books.