3.0
informative reflective medium-paced

If I look back at reading Nina Edwards' The Virtues of Underwear, it's hard to say quite what I took from it. I definitely found it interesting and a fun read, but it feels like the information was a bit badly structured -- I wouldn't know where to turn in the book to follow-up on and remind myself about something, even though the chapters are loosely themed. That can be fascinating to read (and it's probably like talking to me, let's be honest), but it makes it hard to have a structured idea of what I think of it, too.

I think it'd be a good read for a broad history of underwear and how people have felt about it, and how it's changed over time (both the underwear worn and the attitudes toward it). I think it's less good if you want a reference work to refer to about the history, though, because I think it's more interested in the attitudes that informed choices of underwear, as the subtitle ("Modesty, Flamboyance and Filth") indicates. I enjoyed it.

It has a pretty good references section, and some interesting images included, including e.g. cartoons that mention underwear, which can be very revealing about prevailing attitudes.