A Curious History of Sex
By Kate Lister
A cornucopia of giggles, gaffs, titillation, temptations, and exceptional expertise in all things historically sexual from Dr Kate Lister aka @Whores of Yore.
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About the book
'Had Victoria Wood decided to write a scholarly book about sex, it would be like this. Lister has a saucy wit . . . I laughed out loud.' Daily Mail
'Lister romps her way through masturbation, menstruation and prostitution, the invention of condoms, the use of vibrators to cure hysteria and much more . . . Glorious' Evening Standard
This is not a comprehensive study of every sexual quirk, kink and ritual across all cultures throughout time, as that would entail writing an encyclopaedia. Rather, this is a drop in the ocean, a paddle in the shallow end of sex history, but I hope you will get pleasantly wet nonetheless.
The act of sex has not changed since people first worked out what went where, but the ways in which society dictates how sex is culturally understood and performed have varied significantly through the ages. Humans are the only creatures that stigmatise particular sexual practices, and sex remains a deeply divisive issue around the world. Attitudes will change and grow – hopefully for the better – but sex will never be free of stigma or shame unless we acknowledge where it has come from.
Based on the popular research project Whores of Yore, and written with her distinctive humour and wit, A Curious History of Sex draws upon Dr Kate Lister’s extensive knowledge of sex history. From medieval impotence tests to twentieth-century testicle thefts, from the erotic frescoes of Pompeii, to modern-day sex doll brothels, Kate unashamedly roots around in the pants of history, debunking myths, challenging stereotypes and generally getting her hands dirty.
This fascinating book is peppered with surprising and informative historical slang, and illustrated with eye-opening, toe-curling and meticulously sourced images from the past.
You will laugh, you will wince and you will wonder just how much has actually changed.
This looks great. Given that you have 2019 calendar, I assume that you are expecting to be delivering by Christmas 2018, correct?
Haha! No - sadly, not. I hadn't noticed that! It will be in your hands long before Christmas 2018, but not here for this one (sorry!). Although, if you email me, I'll send you a picture of a nude Victorian man each month by way of compensation. Xxx
Just curious, do you know what the red umbrella pins will look like yet?
Not yet! But as soon as we have a prototype, we'll let you know. x
I missed the chance to pledge for a physical copy of the book like the fool that I am. Are there plans to publish it for general sale after the initial run? I did pledge for the ebook, but it would be nice to have something for the bookshelf.
Hi James, We've made this available through the Unbound site again, so you should be able to pre-order now. Unbound Support