Today, singleness is often represented as a new and increasingly popular lifestyle, particularly in the city. However, single people crowded European towns from the late middle ages onward. This book discusses the living conditions of women and men living without a spouse in cities in western Europe, and reflects on differences and similarities in the past. Throughout the volume, singles' lives are examined via a continuum of lenses ranging from labour and social activities to living arrangements and material culture. The collection provides some of the first comparisons of single men and...