MUST READS
RED, A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE REDHEAD by Jacky Colliss Harvey
RED, A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE REDHEAD
by Jacky Colliss Harvey
(Allen & Unwin £9.99)
Aged five, Jacky Colliss Harvey punched to the ground a school bully who had been tormenting her best friend.
‘What did he expect?’ remarked a grown-up bystander. ‘She’s a redhead.’
This New York Times bestseller explores the facts and myths passed down the centuries around the hair colour caused by a rare recessive gene.
From Mary Magdalene, often depicted as a redhead, via Queen Elizabeth I to Damian Lewis and Prince Harry - redheads attract admiration and opprobrium in equal measure.
Historically, red hair was associated with witches, prostitutes and slaves (the comedies of Aristophanes include five slave characters known as Xanthias, or ‘red’).
Yet it also commands an aura of irresistible sexiness.
Authoritative and beautifully illustrated, Red is a captivating read, whatever your natural hair colour.
