A Curious History of Sex

'Buckle your trousers, fasten your seatbelts, here comes Kate Lister. Her curious history of sex is a wild ride, made all the more enjoyable by a wonderfully irreverent approach . . . I’ve never had so much fun learning stuff' 
The Times 
 
'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.

Dr Kate Lister is an historian, columnist, television presenter and host of the award-winning History Hit podcast Betwixt the Sheets. She has published widely in the field of sex history, and lives in the north of England.

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.

Kate Lister

Flicking excellent . . . Kate Lister is a goddess.

This eye-opening account of how women's pleasure has been controlled throught time is thought provoking and intrepid...an excellent, spiky book.

Brilliantly researched, and joyfully written, this is a history of what sex really means for women. Finally.

FLICK delves into the history of women's lived experiences and sexual repression, while also making us question modern assumptions of female pleasure.

An absolute delight, and a must-read! Well-researched, informative and everything we have come to expect from Dr Lister.

Unique, brilliant, gripping and unforgettable

Flick is a brisk, irreverent and often darkly funny history of how we came to imagine that women should ‘lie back and think of England’ . . . What makes Flick more than a fun romp through sexual history is the way it draws the line straight to the present. Some readers may well bristle at Lister’s work here . . . But – just maybe – those are the very readers who most need to hear it.

The Story of Female Pleasure

Meet the women throughout history who, quite literally, came before us. 
 
From the host of award-winning History Hit podcast Betwixt the Sheets.. 
 
There is a common misconception that before modern day feminism, women throughout history simply lay back and thought of England or their respective place of origin; that the modern ‘sex positive’ movement is a radical break from the past. But women demanding better sex did not arrive with free love or the Rampant Rabbit. It has been a very long fight indeed. 
 
From Ancient Mesopotamian sex goddesses to the contraceptive pill, Kate Lister takes us through history to show us how women’s sexual pleasure was controlled, understood and thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed. 
 
FLICK is a rousing history of women enjoying sex: sex with themselves, sex with each other, and occasionally sex with men as well.

Kate Lister

Praise for FLICK

Flicking excellent . . . Kate Lister is a goddess.

This eye-opening account of how women's pleasure has been controlled throught time is thought provoking and intrepid...an excellent, spiky book.

Brilliantly researched, and joyfully written, this is a history of what sex really means for women. Finally.

Flicking excellent . . . Kate Lister is a goddess.

This eye-opening account of how women's pleasure has been controlled throught time is thought provoking and intrepid...an excellent, spiky book.

Brilliantly researched, and joyfully written, this is a history of what sex really means for women. Finally.

Flicking excellent . . . Kate Lister is a goddess.

This eye-opening account of how women's pleasure has been controlled throught time is thought provoking and intrepid...an excellent, spiky book.

Brilliantly researched, and joyfully written, this is a history of what sex really means for women. Finally.

Books by Kate Lister

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