History After Dark

Peter Baldwin's new book, In the Watches of the Night: Life in the Nocturnal City, 1820–1930, was the subject of a recent article in UConn Today.

[Professor Baldwin] tells a tale of nighttime darkness, violence, vandalism, and a reversal of the moral order that governs the day. Covering the period between gas lamps and electrification, the book’s preface evokes the stillness and near complete darkness of Philadelphia in pre-industrial America. “Imagine darkness so thick that you could hardly see a hand in front of your face!” he writes.

To read the full article, click here. To learn more about In the Watches of the Night, click here.