About book O: The Intimate History Of The Orgasm (2005)
HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! (I took a long time on this, but it's densely packed with info and I wanted to take it slow; I like to take it slow, if you know what I mean...heh)I mean this book is like the WHOLE HISTORY OF SEX, not just orgasm. It's so detailed and comprehensive and fascinating. I may have to buy this one as a shelf reference.------40 years ago there was a book by a Dr. David Reuben, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask" (subsequently a Woody Allen film...)Well, this book could easily be given that title, too.There's almost TOO MUCH information, which is why it's taking me awhile to get through it, but it is as interesting as can be.I mean this book goes WAY BACK into the antiquity to describe the sex practices and attitudes of the ancients in Greece, China, India, Egypt, Rome and then into the repressive eras of Medieval times (some of the outrageous forms of repression are as interesting as some of the free-sex practices of earlier times). The convergence of sex and religion and also the positive attitudes in cultures toward women and sex in the past might surprise you. It delves, too, into all manner of sex practices in more recent times and places, some of which are very disturbing - all with the intent purpose of getting off.There is much also about the physical aspects of sex and orgasm, about why the clitoris may have evolved - anthropologists are all over the map on this one, and all the theories are presented and explained.Past the halfway point now and have to say, this merits a highest recommendation.-------(some earlier comments):The big O, not Oprah, although she probably thinks she has a trademark...This is the history of this thing that preoccupies so much of our consciousness and drives so much of our history: namely, getting off.Margolis looks at it from every which way and even in the opening chapters he covers a lot of historical, physiological, psychological, chemical, cultural, sociological, emotional and anecdotal ground -- all in easy flowing prose that is refreshingly non-academic. There's a passage here where Margolis describes the rapid physical changes under way in men and women's bodies as they proceed with their courtship from a romantic dinner to the sexual act, and I have to say that it gave me an erection whereas some allegedly erotic novels such as Nicholson Baker's "Vox" failed to do so.This should not be a boring topic. Luckily, this author doesn't let it be.A quarter of the way through...this book is not just the history of orgasm, but the history of human sex and sexual practice through the ages. Excellent.
On the whole, quite an interesting book. There's no original research here, but some very intelligent collating of material from front line researchers in the field. Inevitably, the bias is towards more recent history, which we know more about. I appreciated the inclusion of material that wasn't anglo-centric, that was good. I found Margolis' speculations about pre-history a bit pointless, because he seemed to assume everything then was much as it has been since, despite how many changes in attitudes and practises there are that we know about!Margolis is very much a rationalist, so for anyone with a particularly mystical/religious attitude to sex, this can be a bit irritating! He also seems to consider simultaneous orgasm as mythical. Having had that pleasure on more than a few occasions, I am left wondering if this defines me as a mythical creature?I learned a fair amount, and even though I wasn't blown away, it was worth the time, and there's a lot of information about other books to explore.
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So, I bought this book despite having the feeling that it was going to be "pop-sexuality"...and boy, was I right. The author is a journalist, not a trained historian, or even a sex-researcher. His book is filled with poorly-researched historical tidbits, random assertions, and worst of all, "facts" that are often blatantly wrong - or simply ludicrous. And while he has an extensive bibliography in the back of the book, he fails to cite even one single "fact" from within his text.Honestly, the following review by the author of "Sex At Dawn" explains the failings of "O" succinctly and expertly, so I'll direct you to it: http://www.amazon.com/review/R27P4GH2...
—Sarah
Okay, this is one hell of an interesting book! The sheer quantity of facts and factoids, the minutia of sexual behavior, beliefs, mores and norms across the globe and throughout history is nearly overwhelming! And Jonathan Margolis is an excellent guide, with a wit that helps one digest the weight of information herein.From the Preface:"More than a hundred million acts of sexual intercourse take place every day, according to the World Health Organization... Calculations would suggest, then, allowing for expanding world population since 98,000 B.C., that human beings have had sex some 1,200 trillion times to date. It cannot, surely, have been bad every time."
—Frank Jude
