From the 18th to the 21st centuries, attitudes toward solitude have fluctuated considerably: from a source of bliss and self-knowledge to a dangerous pathology, and in recent decades, some countries have begun to worry about a 'loneliness epidemic.' To understand the historical underpinnings of this social phenomenon, historian David Vincent proposes a cultural and sociological approach. What is solitude, and how does it differ from solitude? How have church and state institutions attempted to control it? What role have secularization and urbanization played in shaping new notions of solitude? This book explores the history of many places and practices of voluntary and forced solitude—from monasteries to solitary confinement, from solo circumnavigations to the enclosed 'bubbles' into which smartphones and headphones today immerse us. David Vincent is a historian and PhD candidate who teaches at the Open University (OU) and Keele University.