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Sex in History
by Reay Tannahill
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used: Acceptable
- ISBN 10
- 0812885406
- ISBN 13
- 9780812885408
- Seller
-
Chester, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Scarborough House, 1982. Paperback. Used: Acceptable. Don't let the title mislead you. Reay Tannahill's Sex in History in neither a titillating nor a rude book. It is, however, a brilliant, fascinating, myth-dispelling and constantly revelatory read. Starting in prehistory and moving (via the 1989 update) to the age of Aids, Tannahill examines the way in which socio-political and economic concerns have influenced sex and vice versa. Spanning global history, from India, China and the Islamic world to the Americas and Europe, she looks at how attitudes have changed and developed. It soon becomes clear that nothing in sexual behaviour is new. Her examination of Victorianism is excellent, and should be required reading for many - particularly those who nurture ideas of legislating the sex industry out of existence or restricting the availability of contraceptives and abortion. As a woman, it is particularly chilling to read how suffragettes and early feminists opposed moves toward contraception, and how birth-control information was often classed as "obscene" and outlawed. The consequences have been horrific. That we still have a long way to go in terms of sexual liberation can well be illustrated by a statement from Chief Justice Warren Burger to the US Supreme Court as late as 1986, that, "to hold that the act of homosexual sodomy is somehow protected as a fundamental right would be to cast aside millennia of moral teaching." But perhaps what comes across most clearly is the influence of religions on people's sexual behaviour. Indeed, as she says in her conclusion, religion and secular law in the West have "been productive of more guilt and misery among ordinary people than any other aspect of human or divine law." There are, of course, things any reader would like to have seen included. For instance, when dealing with the British approach to Aids, a mention of former Chief Constable of Manchester James Anderton and his statements about God's plague on gays might have provided a useful illustration. And the story of German sex entrepreneur and contraceptive campaigner Beate Uhse would certainly not have been out of place. But these are minor quibbles. A superb book, excellently written and highly readable. By turns funny, wry, appalling and surprising, with carefully and unemotionally drawn conclusions, Tannahill has produced a work that should be discovered by as many as possible. Paperback - 1982 - fair condition, spine split all pages present and clean. - - .
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Details
- Bookseller
- Lady Lisa's Bookshop (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 16391
- Title
- Sex in History
- Author
- Reay Tannahill
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used: Acceptable
- Quantity Available
- 1
- ISBN 10
- 0812885406
- ISBN 13
- 9780812885408
- Publisher
- Scarborough House
- Place of Publication
- Chelsea, Michigan, U.s.a.
- Date Published
- 1982
Terms of Sale
Lady Lisa's Bookshop
If not satisfied, communicate within 7 days for a full refund.
About the Seller
Lady Lisa's Bookshop
Biblio member since 2006
Chester
About Lady Lisa's Bookshop
Lady Lisa's Bookshop. I specialise in modern secondhand non-fiction books. I also have amounts of fiction and out of print books, used books, secondhand books, out of print books, hard to find books, for sale, second-hand books, college books, student books, nonfiction, first edition, exlibrary books sold, signed copies, non-fiction books delivered world wide.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Acceptable
- A non-traditional book condition description that generally refers to a book in readable condition, although no standard exists...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Fair
- is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc....