The Invention of Comfort, by John Crowley, Johns Hopkins University Press,
£32.50, ISBN 0801864372
A RECENT joke has the victim of an accident, lying on a stretcher, being
asked if he is comfortable. He replies, “Well, I’ve got £50,000 in a
savings account.”
“Comfort” is still acquiring new meanings. Once it meant consolation and no
more. Over the centuries it has evolved to mean warmth, light, easy chairs and
remote controls for the telly. It’s an intriguing progression and it brings in a
host of factors, starting with architecture, warmth and lighting and expanding
into social standards, technology and…
