Rest days
Rest Days, published in 1916, is Hutton Webster's comparative study of days on which work is forbidden, from tribal taboos to the Hebrew Sabbath. Webster, then professor of social anthropology at the University of Nebraska, gathers evidence from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the ancient world: days of abstinence at birth, death and other critical moments, holy days, market days and their weeks, lunar festivals, the Babylonian evil days and the shabattum, and the unlucky days of medieval calendars. His argument is that the weekly rest day grew out of these older prohibitions and superstitions rather than from any single source. The book is dense with ethnographic detail and remains a useful survey of its subject. The full text is available to read online in your browser on Vinteuil, and the first chapter is free.
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Frequently asked questions about Rest days
Rest days by Hutton Webster can be read online on Vinteuil, directly in your browser. The first chapter is free for everyone; the complete book is included in Vinteuil Reading ($4.99/month or $39.99/year) or yours forever for $2.99.
Can I read Rest days online?
Yes. Rest days opens right on this page, in a reader designed for long reading: adjustable text size, light, sepia and dark themes, a clickable table of contents and your place saved when you are signed in. No download or app is needed.
Is Rest days free to read on Vinteuil?
The first chapter of Rest days is free, without an account. To read the whole book, either buy its online reading for $2.99 (£2.99 in the UK) and keep it forever, or subscribe to Vinteuil Reading for $4.99/month (£4.99/month in the UK) or $39.99/year, with 1 month free for new subscribers. The subscription opens every book in the library and can be cancelled at any time.
Is Rest days in the public domain?
Yes. Rest days by Hutton Webster is a public-domain work. Vinteuil offers a carefully prepared digital edition made for comfortable reading on screen.
How long does it take to read Rest days?
About 8 h 37 min of reading, at an average reading pace. Your place is saved automatically when you are signed in, so you can read in several sittings and on several devices.
What kind of book is Rest days?
Rest days by Hutton Webster is filed under "Classics" in the Vinteuil library.
