Sex: Lessons From History

by Fern Riddell

Out the new book by Dr Fern Riddell, a powerful and entertaining history of sex. Revised and updated. __________These are the throughout history human beings have had sex. Sexual culture did not begin in the sixties. It has always been celebrated, needed, wanted and desired part of what it means to be what can learn by looking at the sexual lives of our ancestors? What does it tell us about our attitudes and worries today, and how can the past teach us a better way of looking forward?In this wide-ranging and powerful new history of sex, Dr Fern Riddell will uncover the sexual lives of our ancestors and show that, just like us, they were as preoccupied with sexual identities, masturbation, foreplay, sex, deviance; facing it with the same confusion, joy and accidental hilarity that we do Lessons from History is a revealing and fascinating look at how we've always been obsessed with how sex makes us who we are.__________

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Sexuality, Historical, Feminism, Psychology

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2021

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cross between a popular history of sex and sexual culture, and polemic - the latter emerging towards the end and from an inclusive, liberal perspective. Anyone who hasn't studied gender and sexualities in terms of history and/or literature may well be pleasantly surprised, and Riddell brings together an excellent assortment of material, both primary and secondary, to illustrate her points.

If I have qualms they're that speaking of a single 'sexual culture' either now or in the past seems limited and simplifying - I would say there are sexual cultures, plural, which co-exist and which may overlap. I also think that it might have been productive to pay some attention to classical Greek and Rome whose literature was already doing all kinds of interesting things in terms of sexuality from the androgynous Hermaphroditus, the sex-changing Tiresias, and myriad masculine rapists (and almost a female one in Salmacis), the beautiful boys like Hyacinthus and Ganymede loved by men, and the powerful ways in which masculine sexuality and power became interchangeable in some of the 'obscene' poetry of Catullus.

My final point is that while I understand that the material is organised thematically, it can be problematic to jump from the sixteenth century in one sentence to the nineteenth in the next. The argument tends to be universalised throughout the book and a more nuanced contextualisation and historicisation tends to be flattened. That said, I appreciate this is not a book aimed as a specialised or academic audience.

Overall, then, this is a good layman's history and is both entertaining as well as instructive.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley.

[books4chess · Rating 5 out of 5]

"To understand that who we love and how we desire is not biologically determined or binary"

I am truly so glad I had the opportunity to read this and broaden my horizons on the sexual landscape of humanity! A lot of sexual health books at the moment focus on the biology and expectations we place on sex so it was extremely interesting to read about it from a historical and linguistic standpoint. Language is powerful and learning how the words we use today came around and developed their existing meaning's helps us to understand where we've gone wrong and censored our own sexuality. The unique emphasis broke down a rather densely informative book into various hilarious lists, of which favourite had to be the varying vagina related names - especially palace of pleasure and nonynony.

The book was fascinating, focusing on how we got to where we are today, highlighting where it all went wrong and sex became a 'naughty' subject. It encouraged the reader to question how important knowledge taught and passed on by our ancestors disappeared through censorship. Our bodies became topics discussed only through innuendos and crude expressions, resulting in the genuine interest in the human body becoming a perverse topic of conversation. It's sad, but important to understand.

Further, it was refreshing to read the focus on how natural LGBTQ+ is in-spite of the modern-day lens that corrupts human sex into rigid structures. The book reminds us that there existing expectations are arbitrarily man-made rules (lesbian fear anyone!?) and encourages the reader to follow their desires.

Ashamedly, I previously knew little of the original sexologists, but learning of their curious natures and willingness to test their own bodies to learn more about topics such as desire and pleasure was deeply interesting. Humans are naturally sexual beings but in our current state and the books predicted trajectory, people will continue to be shamed if we don't address the wrong steps we've taken into unlearning ourselves and others.

A single review can not do justice without spoiling / regurgitating every single well-researched and poignantly delivered discussion, but I would rate the book 10/5 if possible for it's content, delivery and approach.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Liv Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting cultural history ! Breaking down the prudish Victorian stereotype to look at the work of sex education campaigners and legal cases was so interesting. It also establishes that there has always been diversity, queerness and difference in sexuality and gender identity- it's not a 'woke' modern creation. It's been my walking around audiobook for the last few months and I've loved it.

[Colby Bettley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for my copy of this arc.

This book was absolutely fascinating. It provided an in depth and detailed review of our sexual history, highlighting documents and articles throughout the ages that referenced society's desire to find sexual pleasure.

Riddell aims to delineate that humans are instinctively sexual. The newer generations have not just discovered their libidos and decided to experiment; in fact, our ancestors paved the way to our awakenings. While it was more frowned upon, and equality was almost non-existent, the people of our history were keen to explore their own desires.

I found that to be incredible to read. It had humourous undertones at points and was easy to follow, despite reading more like a textbook. I think it is an important subject that should be openly talked about and Fern Riddell has made a huge step forward to allowing that to happen.

[Siâni · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2021, you wouldn’t think we’d need a book teaching us the history of sex. I think we’re all guilty of believing we have now reached the pinnacle of sexual freedom and expression, especially in Britain. We have contraception, sex toy shops on the Highstreet, and tv shows like Bridgerton and Outlander. Well, Dr. Fern Riddell has a few things to say.

Sex – Lessons from History is an incredibly insightful book. It shows that we have not magically come up with trans and sexual freedoms. Throughout history, trans people existed. Societies and cultures did exist where sexual freedom was the goal. I was quite surprised to not read page after page of doom and gloom. This is usually what I expect as a woman reading this type of book. I wait for the pages of evidence of women being mutilated, abused, and used. That is not the case!

Riddell does tackle the difficult and sad issues. You cannot escape the history of how gay men were treated and women having to fight for their right to contraception. What I enjoyed was that Riddell didn’t only talk about the sad. Evidence is out there that highlights that people enjoyed sex in the past.

I was surprised to read that Germany was quite progressive in sex education and trans surgery before the Nazis came along. I would never have imagined such a sophisticated building dedicated to trans surgery would have been built in Germany in the early 20th century. It is sad to think how the world may look if that attitude were allowed to continue.

I also very much enjoyed reading that, in the 19th century, it was believed that women’s vulvas had the power to scare the devil away. The highlight of the book for me was James Joyce’s letter to his wife, Nora. You will have to read the book to discover it but gosh, I was shocked, and I am annoyed that I didn’t study this letter in my modernist module for my MA. Why are we studying Ulysses when this gem exists?!

The book has something for everyone and it’s a great example of how history can still teach us something today. Kitty Marion makes a couple of appearances (I cheered out loud) and if you enjoyed Riddell’s novel about Kitty then you will also enjoy this. Riddell has a way of informing but also making you laugh and enjoy what you read. Yet, the seriousness that is needed when discussing the grave subjects is also felt. I highly recommend this book!

[Sarah Faichney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fern Riddell's "Sex: Lessons From History" is an extensively researched historical study of sex and all things relating to it. The book places particular emphasis on the Victorian era. It's packed full of anecdotes, true crime case studies and old Court records. I love how women are brought to the forefront in this book and that we get to hear their perspectives in their own words.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Frankly, this is about the worst read on the subject that I have ever encountered. The very limited research lacks depth, is badly written, and is terribly organized.

[Rosie]

Coming at this as someone who has an interest in gender and sexuality but has not studied it academically, I found Riddell’s approach to the history of sex and sexuality to be eye opening. Using repeated examples throughout the book Riddle debunked my attitude towards Victorian sensibilities and laid out the fact that we are not as modern in our attitudes as we think we are. Her focus on LGBT+ aspect of history was also a welcome relief when our stories are often a footnote in other books or left out all together.

The themed chapters worked well – as much as they can when trying to outline a long complicated history – I particularly liked her chapters on Contraception, and Sex Work. Both areas deal with the policing of women’s bodies in one way or another and reading this you can see how our current attitudes developed. Her chapter on Rape was again eye-opening and depressing in how the legitimacy of rape claims are often weighted on ‘respectability’ of the women involved irrespective of the era.

I found the final chapter on The Future of Sex somewhat jarring and quite negative to begin with compared to previous chapters but it becomes evident that this is deliberate – perhaps a warning shot that we must learn from our history in order to forge a brighter future.

All told I would highly recommend for this an enjoyable and enlightening delve into our past.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sex, one of the most powerful drivers we have as human beings. Love it or hate it, this book is an easily readable history of sex and attitudes towards it through the ages.
Whilst we think modern generations are at the forefront of sexual exploration, Dr Ridell through the use of many sources and above all humour, explains and illustrates that all things we think are sexually advanced are actually things experienced and explored by previous generations. The only difference being we as a society are more open to talking about sex now.
A enjoyable and worthwhile read, that challenges our stereotypes of how precious generations viewed sex e.g the victorians.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of review.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall very informative, largely focused on the nineteenth century (useful for me since that’s what I’m researching) but if your looking for ancient or medieval sexual history this book will only give you a few bits of info

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fascinating exploration of the history of sex and how society, over time, has engaged with, censored and celebrated the most natural of acts. I found Fern Riddell's writing to be erudite and accessible which was incredibly useful as I become increasingly aware of how little I actually knew.
The author documents how societal attitudes have impacted on individuality, freedom and self-expression. Rigidity and repression around sexuality have had catastrophic consequences for people and it struck me how the author stressed the need to look at the past and individuals who have paved the way so that we may enjoy our personal freedoms. Each chapter introduces the reader to individuals who have fought the accepted status quo and how we have benefitted from it and stepped further towards inclusivity.
The exploration of the Victorians was of particular interest to me. Stereotypical perceptions may consider it to be a time of sexual repression and duplicity however Riddell presents a society that was far from it, a society that contained many individuals willing to challenge authority in order to obtain the future rights of many.
A fascinating, informative and educational read that cuts to the very heart of what it is to be human.

[John Kovalic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely enjoyable and enlightening. Neither academically dull nor salaciously titillating, failures of other such books on the subject, this is just a terrific read, packed with insight.

[Bookshire Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was somewhat disappointing. I expected more from Riddell. The depth of writing is uneven, the book can't decide if it wants to be history or academic polemic (especially towards the end), or a moral manifesto of inclusivity (this is repeated in every chapter several times and gets rather tiresome, especially given that most of the readers of this book already agree with her points, imho). There were also more typos and printing errors than I would expect in a trad-published book.

[rosie · Rating 2 out of 5]

desperately in need of some editing or just any structure whatsoever

[Beth Younge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an informative and interesting read. It added to information i already knew with a ton more i didn't. The writing was easily accesible and the layout was clear and easy to follow. This is one academic book that everyone can access.

[Holly Cruise · Rating 3 out of 5]

(This definitely a 3.5 rather than a 3.)

There's a growing cluster of books recently about the history of sex, written by some of the most interesting younger female historians working in Britain, and I'm here for this wave.

Indeed, the only downside to books like this and Dr Kate Lister's 'A Curious History Of Sex' is that sex might be one of the biggest topics a historian could possibly tackle. After all, more humans have had sex than have done any other activity in human history, barring eating and sleeping. War, politicking, football, music, move over. This means that these books are often a cherry-picking (not a cherry-popping) of historical anecdotes rather than anything unifying and cohesive.

That having been said, this books is called 'Sex Lessons From History', and that is what it is. Some chapters on some sex-related topics, which includes lots of stuff outside of missionary hetero sex - queer sex, sex toys, wanking. If you're happy to jump around and read stories with a range of sources quoted then this works out nicely.

Dr Riddell specialises in Victorian era sex and sexuality, and I mean it in a nice way when I say it shows. She pulls from plenty of sources before and after Victorian Britain, but she's at her best and richest when talking about the century which popular culture thinks was the most celibate ever (it really REALLY wasn't). Indeed, there were a few points where the non-Victorian bits felt a little like after thoughts in comparison to the rich detail of the Victorian bits.

Overall a very accessible and very entertaining read which covers so much ground that it would impossible not to find something interesting or new or eye-popping.

[Lauren Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. This book was interesting enough, but I felt like it could have been pared down a bit. I thought it got a bit redundant at the end and the last chapter felt a bit preachy. However, overall I thought this book was really interesting in talking mostly about Victorian attitudes towards sex, which I have never encountered before.

I found out about this book through London's Vagina Museum book club, aptly titled Cliterature. Excited to participate in the discussion soon!

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third Dr Fern Riddell book I've read, which as she's only written three so far makes me a completist

It is a history of sex. It isn't done in chronological order, for reasons that may be obvious, but each chapter focuses on a separate subject within the broad category of 'history of sex': Women Loving Women, Flirtation and Contraception to pick but three random chapters. Each chapter is a survey/overview of what we know about these things and how attitudes have changed to them - for better or for worse. Sometimes both.

Riddell does a good job of pointing out that our understanding of the sex lives of people living in the past are pretty stereotypical and that Philip Larkin's joke about sex having begun in 1963 is actually how we sometimes look at the past from our oh so cool and porn surrounded 2021. It isn't true. There have be gay people, lesbians and trans people throughout history.

This book is also a chance for Dr Riddell to take a hammer to one of her favourite topics: our total refusal to see the Victorians as anything but prudes despite all the evidence. Dr Riddell is strongest on the Victorians I think because that's her major area of interest, but she draws examples from various eras depending on the topic.

The final chapter is on The Future of Sex, which was an interesting read and slightly unexpected. I like Dr Riddell's writing style it is brisk and clear. It's not bogged down in that sludge that some history books get bogged down in. Even those that purport to be popular history.

This would make a great double-bill with Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire by Eric Berkowitz. That book has a different angle, but dovetails well with Dr Riddell's book.

Very enjoyable. I'd recommend this and Death in Ten Minutes: The Forgotten Life of Radical Suffragette Kitty Marion to you.

[Anke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fern Riddell has written a very accessible and interesting history of sexuality that challenges you to rethink your own views and prejudices towards sex and everything it entails. Both people who've never read anything on the history of sexuality and people who have will find new and surprising information in this book. Riddell's writing is a joy to read with precise but engaging descriptions and some humorous notes sprinkled in along the way.
The entire book is clearly written and designed to highlight female voices, female participation and female stories while still managing to give a broad overview. She also doesn't shy away from controversial but important topics, such as when she addresses the "debate" on transgender issues by TERF's and "gender critical feminists" in her final chapter.
The only "negative" remarks I can give is that, especially in the first few chapters of the book, there are quite a few typos and mistakes that were clearly missed in editing. But this is a minor concern. Aside from that, she can also get a little repetitive in her conclusions of every chapter, always alluding to the same "we have lost and misconstrued a lot of sexual freedom from the past" idea but as this is the central tenet of her book, it isn't overly annoying.
All in all, a great read that will amaze, shock and lure you into further reflection, even after finishing.

[Seolhe]

DNF'd at page 101

This was a big disappointment.
Reading the introduction and seeing that this book had several chapters covering queer sexuality, I went into this optimistically, but my hopes were quickly dashed.

The two chapters covering the history of same-sex attraction ("Women Loving Women" and "Men Loving Men") were pretty much nothing but a long laundry list of how queer people have been persecuted by the law, jailed and executed, peppered throughout with cases of queer women conning unsuspecting straight women into false marriages by pretending to be men and queer men sexually assaulting other men (or more often, underaged boys).

There's nothing about happy or healthy queer relationships, nothing about queer culture (aside from a short section about molly houses, but even that is tainted by a fair dose of homophobia), or queer activism, or queer art or anything else outside of queer suffering.

I don't think this was done maliciously, I genuinely think the author had nothing but good intentions, but it nonetheless left a bad taste in my mouth.

That said, even apart from my feelings about the way queerness was depicted, I also just found the writing really dry and uninspired. The author pulls a lot from legal documents and the like, while adding very little else to it, and it made for quite an unengaging reading experience.

[Alistair Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A challenging listen on Audible, narrated by the author.

The coverage of the topic was broad, with thematic chapters building up to a valuable discussion on the place of women in society and the various rights movements leading us to where western society is now. The later chapters inevitably focused on the Victorian Era and later, reflecting the extensive source material available in comparison to earlier periods.

Narration was clear and whilst largely neutral Dr Riddells passion for the subject came through clearly. What was jarring was dates of birth and death associated with people mentioned, which seemed to disrupt the flow of the narrative.

Lots to reflect on, and learn from around how we engage with one another in society.

[chicadecuero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book a lot, and it is very innovative that it talks about the history of sex.

It is very well divided into chapters (ie. masturbation, sex work, rape, etc) although I would have liked that each chapter would have been divided into subsections or in more marked paragraphs, since it is a lot of information hard to digest

I must also comment that much of the info is set in the Victorian era more than any other historical era, although it is understandable that there is more information from the 18th century on.

I have learned a lot with this book and I would love to reread the book and take notes, because it is a book that is worth it.

[dangerous at every speed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super interesting, and it was really enjoyable learning so many new things in such detail. However, I think this book fell into the trap of attempting too much in a short span of time. From about the halfway point, the chapters seemed to become quite disjointed, and would oscillate between extreme deep dives (which sometimes seemed a bit… too niche? perhaps slightly irrelevant?) and quick overviews. As a result, it took me much longer to read.
What Riddell lacks in style, she makes up for in substance.
Otherwise, super interesting. Well worth it!

[N.Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brave but frustrating

I enjoyed this book and found it thought-provoking, but in trying to straddle academic thoroughness and an accessible text, I felt that there were gaps in the evidence that left me thinking "but what about...?" Each chapter could easily have been a book in its own right and therein lies the author's and publisher's conundrum. The value in this text is that it's sent me off in search of further reading and that's always a good thing.

[Morgan Holdsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was unbelievably good! so clearly, thoroughly and brilliantly researched, every topic felt just as engaging as the one previously. i found myself shocked at just how little i had heard before, for the section on james joyce my jaw was dropped for the duration of the tram ride i read it on. i really would recommend this fabulously written account on all things sex, it encompasses a multitude of intersections so you finish with a real intersection of knowledge.

[Poppy Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

truly phenomenal. superbly written- full of fascinating information and witty humour- Dr Fern Riddell has truly provided her readers with a glimpse into the past, and indeed the evolution of our sex lives as humans. not shying away from any topic, typically “taboo” subjects are tackled head on, with chapters covering everything from gender and sexual identity, sexual violence to self-pleasure and contraception. an absolute must read.

[Heidi]

This was extensively researched and sex is a fascinating topic, but I found it impossible to get on with this book. I don't know why I had a hard time with it, which is frustrating. All I know is that it was a struggle to make it to the end of every single page.

(I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

[Kacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to Sexual history, but at points I found it incredibly limited: the focus on the Victorian era and Western sexual history for one, with minimal references to the impact of colonialism on sexuality across the globe and other historical sexualities and practices. Still, was an interesting read!

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Well researched, well expressed and thought provoking on how we have got to this odd prudishness vs shock jockey attitude towards sex and sexual acts. Will be recommending this to friends in perpetuity.

[Onyx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this on a whim and really enjoyed it! I’m fascinated by sexology and this provided a really evocative and intersectional account of sex across roughly the last millennium. At times it felt a tad muddled with its flow of topics and a little loose, but overall really loved and respected this.