What is ugliness? Is it merely the opposite of beauty? What are the categories of ugliness? With rich written and illustrative material and unique insights, the book On Ugliness scrutinizes our biases against ugliness. It overturns traditional aesthetics and presents a fascinating history of the “aesthetics” of ugliness. The book draws closely on the visual arts, combining these with key literary works from across the ages. It discusses how ugliness has been portrayed in the Western tradition, from the classical era, the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Romantic period, all the way to modern times.