Blood is something that all humans share: a vital force that courses through our veins - the giver of life. This book gathers together specially commissioned essays from leading scholars which reflect on the religious, historical, and medical dimensions of blood. Written for a broad audience and illustrated with full color illustrations, the essays encompass history, literature, art history, religious studies and medical humanities and explore some of the most challenging issues surrounding blood and ritual.

With an introduction by Anthony Bale, David Feldman and Jo Rosenthal, contributors include Marc Michael Epstein, Anthony Bale, David Feldman, Robin Judd, Sander Gilman, Dorothy Porter and Gil Anidjar.

David Feldman is Director of the Pears Institute for the study of Antisemitism and also a Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London. He has published widely on relations between Jews and non-Jews in modern Britain, as well as on the history of immigrants and ethnic minorities. His books include Englishmen and Jews: Social Relations and Political Culture, 1840-1914.

Anthony Bale is Professor of Medieval Studies at Birkbeck, University of London. He has published two books on relations between Christians and Jews in medieval culture: The Jew in the Medieval Book: English Antisemitisms 1350-1500 and Feeling Persecuted: Christians, Jews, and Images of Violence in the Middles Ages.

Acknowledgements
Introduction – Anthony Bale, David Feldman, Jo Rosenthal
In our Veins – Marc Michael Epstein
Shylock's Blood – Anthony Bale
Modern Blood – David Feldman
Blood Imagery, Jewish Rituals, and Social Activism – Robin Judd
Sucking Blood – Sander Gilman
Blood Archaeology, Disease Prevention, and Eugenic Affirmation – Dorothy Porter
Universal Blood – Gil Anidjar
About the Authors