The ancient Greeks and Romans considered it degrading to both parties yet depicted it prolifically in art and literature. The Early Christian Church called it "the worst evil," punishable by seven years of penance and fasting (murder was one year). Nearly all of the 13 original American colonies had laws against it--except Georgia. A Victorian handbook for young brides advised how to "dampen his desire to kiss in forbidden territory."Attitudes about oral sex have varied through the...

Sex and Punishment tells the story of the struggle throughout millennia to regulate the most powerful engine of human behaviour: sex. From the savage impalement of an Ancient Mesopotamian adulteress to the imprisonment of Oscar Wilde for 'gross indecency' in 1895, Eric Berkowitz evokes the entire sweep of Western sex law. The cast of Sex and Punishment is as varied as the forms taken by human desire itself: royal mistresses, gay charioteers, medieval transvestites, lonely goat-lovers, pros...

Who Cooked the Last Supper? overturns the phallusy of history and gives voice to the untold history of the world: the contributions of millions of unsung women.Men dominate history because men write history. There have been many heroes, but no heroines. Here, in Who Cooked the Last Supper?, is the history you never learned—but should have!Without politics or polemics, this brilliant and witty book overturns centuries of preconceptions to r...

Almost everyone swears, or worries about not swearing, from the two year-old who has just discovered the power of potty mouth to the grandma who wonders why every other word she hears is obscene. Whether they express anger or exhilaration, are meant to insult or to commend, swear words perform a crucial role in language. But swearing is also a uniquely well-suited lens through which to look at history, offering a fascinating record of what people care about on the deepest levels of a cultu...

From one of the boldest, "most shocking" (Germaine Greer), and "uncompromising" (Mary Daly) feminist writers of the 20th century, Intercourse is the book that enraged, inspired, and ultimately split apart the feminist movement when it first published in 1987In Intercourse, Dworkin argues that in a male supremacist society, sex between men and women constitutes a central part of women's subordination to men. (This argument was quickly-and falsely-s...

Susan Brownmiller's groundbreaking bestseller uncovers the culture of violence against women with a devastating exploration of the history of rape—now with a new preface by the author exposing the undercurrents of rape still present todayRape, as author Susan Brownmiller proves in her startling and important book, is not about sex but about power, fear, and subjugation. For thousands of years, it has been viewed as an acceptable "spoil of war," used as a weapon by i...

**“Endlessly illuminating and a sheer pleasure to read.” —Jack Miles, author of God: A BiographyDaring to take the great biblical account of human origins seriously, but without credulity.**The most influential story in Western cultural history, the biblical account of Adam and Eve is now treated either as the sacred possession of the faithful or as the butt of secular jokes. Here, acclaimed scholar Stephen Greenblatt explores it with profound appreciation for its ...

In this road map to restoring feminine sexual power, Betsy Prioleau introduces and analyzes the stories and stratagems of history's greatest seductresses. These are the women who ravished the world—from such classic figures as Cleopatra and Mae West to such lesser-known women as the infamous Violet Gordon Woodhouse, who lived in a ménage with four men. Smarts, imagination, courage, and killer charm helped these love maestras claim the men of their choice and keep them fascinated for life. ...

Everything you always wanted to know about the one subject that never gets old…When it comes to sex, a little knowledge goes a long, long way. Here, at last, is the perfect little book to tease your imagination and test your sexual IQ (ever heard of the Turtle Stirs position?).From techniques to tall tales, from the physiology of sex to an astounding guide to Sex Slang (Shuffle the Kit Kat? Play the Boneaphone?), this stimulating collection of titillating t...

The best kind of knowledge is uncommon knowledge.Okay, so maybe you know all the stuff you're supposed to know--that there are teenier things than atoms, that Remembrance of Things Past has something to do with a perfumed cookie, that the Monroe Doctrine means we get to take over small South American countries when we feel like it. But really, is this kind of knowledge going to make you the hit of the cocktail party, or the loser spending forty-five minutes examining the h...

The literary education you've always lusted for.Fresh from the virtual pages of Nerve.com comes this collection of "naughty bits," an irreverent look into the steamy, scandalous side of literature past and present. With bite-sized salacious excerpts from the classics -- new and old -- each with a fresh, insightful introduction, The Naughty Bits presents the world's great books as you never thought you'd see them.Includes naughty bits by:Dante...

"Should be required reading for anyone who has a penis, wants a penis, or loves someone who has or wants a penis . . . titillating and informative."—Dan Savage, New York Times-bestselling authorThe almighty penis (a.k.a. dick, schlong, pecker, rod, tool, Johnson, etc.) has long been a major object of adoration, revulsion, ridicule, amazement, joy, pride, and even frustration. But does anyone fully understand the penis? Novelist, playwright, and journalist ...