Though just outside of public view, the wedding night is loaded with expectation and consequence. "The Wedding Night: A Popular History" is an entertaining, accessible, touching, and humorous volume that looks at the previously unexplored topic of wedding history "between the sheets." Covering a kaleidoscopic array of cultural expressions, this unique study zooms in on what's quintessential and shares insights into the history of intimacy through the ages.

The book traces the formalization of the wedding night in the ancient Near East and classical world, provides many examples of...