Sacrificed For Honor by David I Kertzer
SKU: B-000589

Sacrificed For Honor

Author: David I Kertzer
Special Features: Inscribed, Dust Jacket, Hardcover
Condition: The front paper is corner clipped, and has minor pencil writing. The pages are otherwise clean and tidy. No dog ears. Tight binding. From a smoke free home.

Biography & Memoir History

Secondhand copy — please check photos and condition notes.
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$82.00 AUD
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Sacrificed For Honor by historian David I. Kertzer uncovers a little-known chapter of Italian history: the abandoned infants left at foundling homes and the rigid codes of honor that shaped their fate. This hardcover first edition delivers a gripping blend of biography and social history, tracing how church, state, and family collided over matters of pregnancy, shame, and reproductive control.

Kertzer’s meticulous research brings 19th-century Italy to life, showing how thousands of newborns were quietly surrendered to institutions run by Catholic orders. The narrative weaves personal stories with wider political currents, revealing why so many mothers felt compelled to sacrifice their children for the sake of family reputation.

This 252-page Beacon Press volume arrives with its original dust jacket and an inscription on the front endpaper. A previous owner clipped the corner of that page and left faint pencil notes, yet the text block remains crisp, pages unmarked, and the binding tight—ideal for readers who love vintage non-fiction that still feels urgent.

Collectors of social history, gender studies, or Italian culture will appreciate this durable, smoke-free copy. Sacrificed For Honor stands as a powerful testament to the human cost of honor cultures and a thought-provoking addition to any history shelf.