'O': The Intimate History of the Orgasm

by Jonathan Margolis

In 1558 an anatomist called Columbus discovered the clitoris, and so a whole new world of sexual pleasure began to be opened up - and it was a steady progress that culminated in the present Golden Age. That at least is the official history. Here Jonathan Margolis produces evidence to show that in Europe and America progress was extremely slow whilst in other places the secrets of the orgasm created almost unimaginable worlds of pleasure. The book will draw on orgasm's biology, anthropology, psychology, technology and sociology. The orgasm was revered in ancient societies, but by the 13th Century modesty ruled: St Francis of Assisi would throw himself into a thorn bush to disguise unwanted erections and avoid all possibility of orgasm. Victorians still regarded the female orgasm as a form of hysteria - women were treated for hysteria and, by the 19th century, were strongly advised against riding bicycles for this reason. In Edwardian Britain and America, vibrators were routinely advertised in the respectable women's magazines as a form of handy household appliance. Margolis considers the revival of open, public interest in sex in the late 1950s, and the effect of the Pill, feminism and Viagra on the state of the orgasm in the 21st century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Sexuality, Psychology, Science, Sociology, Microhistory

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Jonathan Margolis is a journalist for The Financial Times, The Guardian and The Sunday Times (UK). He has been a contributor to Time as well as several other online magazines. He has written several celebrity biographies including ones on John Cleese, Uri Geller and the orgasm.

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.
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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.
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(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.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

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...

[Aamna]

Need a time machine to go back and fire the editor. How do you write such a dull book about orgasms? Ugh, the potential for puns is endless.

[Kamakana · Rating 3 out of 5]

130819: taken as popular history this is three. i have not read much to compare, but there seems little original research, lots of collection, lots of historical narrative. i must remember this is ‘history’ and as such limited in sources, to certain writers, populace, gender- as much this is not an area of great past research, not taken seriously as wars, revolutions etc, though there is reasonable argument that the ‘pursuit’ of orgasms has been major force in all human lives... and yes, from recorded beginnings, there were all kinds of linkages between orgasm and spiritual grace etc... and probably all kinds of ways to satisfy ‘pursuit’...

so maybe the title is selling, but it is indeed true that there is history. from general sketches of ancient greeks, romans, indians, chinese etc through middle ages christianity. against official line, it is suggested we westerners have mistakenly read our history sexless rather than bawdy, that the orgasm is an original and abiding concern. one part that surprises me, though i have been familiar with the idea orgasms are more intense for women... this much? and essentially multiple? is this new ‘performance anxiety’ for men that they should now ‘deliver’ no less... and similar anxiety for women that they should ‘achieve’ no less? is this one reason masturbation is popular... the author drafts in michel foucault to argue it is part of the modern age to socially control then medicalize sex... as also against official line the repressive aspects of the ‘victorian age’ are overstated... there are some ways this refers to english cultural markers, but mostly it is international... then as he approaches more recent decades, there is much statistics and some hopeful predictions where ‘pursuit’ is going... and you will probably learn some new details in this popular way...?

[Aleksandras Rimdžius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buvo smagu. Suvirškinus visus istorinius enekdotus, galima išskirti pagrindinius, tolydžio vis stipriau išreiškiamus leitmotyvus:

a) Masturbacija yra sveikiausia, saugiausia, dažnu atveju, atmetus visokius nukrypimus, daugiausia pasitenkinimo teikianti seksualinės veiklos forma;

b) Vien frikcijomis nelabai ką pasieksi, tad lyžt, katinėli, per pumpurėlį, lyžt.

Žodžiu, gyvenai mele.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history that is absolutely superior to that Sex At Dawn cringefest. Margolis does stray into the realm of Third Worldist thinking (he can't help himself), but not to an entirely unbearable extent.

Worst moment was his attempt to blame Soviet social conservatism (which he greatly exaggerates) on Christianity and the West, while making no mention of Judaism in the same context.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommended for sex nerds like myself.
It starts out a wee bit dry (how is that even possible?!) but by the time you get to the chapter about different sexual cultures around the world, you'll be absolutely fascinated.
Margolis has put together a surprisingly comprehensive history of not just orgasms, but sex, gender, politics, religion, & how all these work together to form the great big beautiful mess that is our current view of sexuality.
One of his key theses - the idea that testosterone is the most influential chemical of all time - is bold, well-supported, & has stayed with me.

[Anita · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up on page 12 at the end of the first chapter. This book was so poorly written, so dry, so academic, that I couldn't bear to waste my time reading more. I'm sure there's a fascinating history buried in these 400 pages, but I can't think of England long enough to get through the experience of reading it.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, what a snore. Tons of weird spelling mistakes, confusing and convoluted sentences, and a general disconnected and random feeling throughout.

[Aurimas Nausėda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pavykęs bandymas atskleisti seksualumo, sekso, orgazmo supratimą įvairiais istoriniais laikotarpiais. Daug įdomių įžvalgų, statistinių faktų, religinių ar medicinos atstovų citatų ir kritinio vertinimo.

[Jane Night · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked- This book was so fun to read. It looked at orgasms physiologically, socially, and historically. For instance, did you know that studies have shown semen is actually addictive to some women? How about that it is really hard to have sex in the missionary position in zero gravity? And, many cultures throughout history have believed that women are more sexual then men (which I have been saying for years!).

Overall, informative, fun, and an easy read. If you are looking for a serious book because you have a history paper on sex due then this isn't it. If you just love learning about sex throughout the ages and enjoying yourself along the way then this book is perfect.

What I didn't like- I actually had no real complaints about this book. The only thing I could see some people not liking is that this book is far from a complete history of orgasms. It also jumped around a bit. And, the narrative was very conversational (I liked it but I can see where some people wouldn't). Oh, and this book is not for prudes. At all.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The culture and knowledge of sex has progressed and regressed throughout history. Margolis uses mythology and research to discuss the orgasm, which is often misperceived due to reluctance by many to have a frank discussion about it.
Beginning as a (largely unauthorized) celebrity biographer, Margolis was shunned for his work by many of the celebrities about whom he wrote. So, while it is understandable that he would decide to take a break from getting glared at by the glamorous, I am interested in what drove him to write about orgasms, and, thus, probably get glared at by a much larger audience.
This is intended as a research book, so there are a few dry spots where I found my mind wandering. For most of the book, I found myself intrigued, which was surprising considering the dense research. However, Margolis is a strong writer who makes the history an enjoyable read.
Read the rest of my review here: https://vulvaink.wordpress.com/2016/1...

[Lia · Rating 1 out of 5]

clearly written by a dude.
meh.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written a while ago in 2003, but nonetheless offers an incredibly interesting and extremely well researched delve into the history shaping force of the orgasm. Took me a whole month to read out of it's sheer factual and statistical analysis. Margolis looks firstly at the scientific workings of both male and female orgasms in all their stages. Then, he progresses throughout history - firstly looking at the Ancient Greeks, the Medieval Europeans and the Ancient Orient and their attitudes to sex. It was eye-opening to see how liberated they were - definitely more liberated than now. So many sexually liberated cultures have existed before the 1960s claim to it - most of these ancient cultures actually favoured homosexuality before it was outlawed by new religious forces. It was only once Modern Christianity came along that all of our negative connotations with orgasm developed. Margolis argued it came out of a godly pursuit of 'purity' and restraint by a handful of influential figures like Saint Augustine. He also points out that the celibacy of Priests 'was a mechanism for keeping Church property from leaking away by inheritance to clerics' children.' This prudentry heightened in the Victorian era where the woman was seen as a sort of angelic, homemaking virgin, who only engaged in sex passively - many denying that the female orgasm existed. Sex work was rife but sex workers were seen as debased, indulgent, animalistic women. However, interestingly, there is evidence of vibrators being invented in the late-19th centruy. Then he moves through the 20th century and the various waves of sexual liberation and sexual regression. His optimistic prediction for the 21st century attitude is poignant and echoes well with 2020;
'Globally, though, the trend towards wanting to live one's sex life to the full is inexorable. There is clearly both the potential and impetus for humanity to become a great deal more orgasm-literate and, ultimately, to regard orgasm as a fundemental human entitlement on a par with legal and political rights.'

[Dilara Alp · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is quite informative in terms of the comparative approaches to sexuality and female, male orgasm throughout the history in different cultures. However, This is not an academic research. Certain definitions might be generalizations of the author. Nevertheless, There are good references made to studies and researches and it gives a good introduction to most of the figures who habe devoted time to this field.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening! Really interesting. Well written and not as dry or boring as such a wordy book my seem on such a fun topic! Really made a lot of sense and I enjoyed the writing style. I just wish I could remember it all as so much was “oh my goodness” type of interesting factoid.

Things have really changed in the last 100 years especially.

[Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, but what about sex isn't? Bought it for my reference shelf as it's so well researched and annotated.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew, that took a long time to finish.

[SHIP (formerly The CSPH) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The culture and knowledge of sex has progressed and regressed throughout history. Margolis uses mythology and research to discuss orgasm, which is often misperceived due to reluctance by many to have a frank discussion about it. The book is organized in historical order, and does not limit itself to the last few centuries of North America. Knowledge of modern tribes is used for guesswork on orgasms in the BC, and texts such as the Kama Sutra are explored for information on orgasms in other countries and eras. The journey of the orgasm throughout time and place is discussed in this dense and engaging history.
Three theories on female orgasm were discussed when evolutionary theorists realized that sexual pleasure didn’t relate to chance of pregnancy. The first theory suggested female orgasm as “an adaptation to enhance the monogamous pair bond,” because, through familiarity, a long-term partner would know how to make the female partner climax. Theorists of the second theory saw monogamy as unnatural, a social value brought about by political repression, and stated that multi-orgasm was evidence of insatiable desire. The final theory discussed female orgasm as part of the similarity in the womb between developing fetuses. Female orgasm was, essentially, an echo of the male orgasm.
Protesters against society’s decisions are present throughout time just as they are now. Egon Schiele painted self-portraits of himself masturbating in order to protest against the conservatism of Austrian society. The intimate history of the orgasm proves to it’s readers that, no matter the decisions of medical professionals, religions, and others, people frequently draw their own conclusions as to how to lead sexual lives, and what they should or shouldn’t do with their own bodies.

[Bryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Frank Jude · Rating 3 out of 5]

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."

[Danika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was painfully hard to get through due to its repetetive nature, sometimes unnecessary foolish commentary and ridiculously long sentences. I had to sit and re read a whole sentence just to figure out what the author was trying to state due to the unnecessary longwinded writing style; some sentences formed whole paragraphs. There was a lot of information packed into it too and at times I did enjoy some of the information that I wasn't familiar with already.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading it. Read it for a review that's available online. With the history and science aspects as well as the psychological and pop culture references it's an awesome read for anyone interested in sexuality.

[Elia]

I've returned this to the library (from whence most of my books come), but look forward to checking it out again sometime and reading more. This is definately not a book that needs to be read start to finish, although that might be fun too!

[Possum P · Rating 1 out of 5]

After seeing several factual errors in the first twenty pages and realizing that the "biblography" was mostly websites, I decided to put this book down and am resisting a strong temptation to burn it.

[Jessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat problematic when it comes to the author's editorializing about whether women require love in order to orgasm, but generally a good overview of the current literature and history of the orgasm.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just bought this book for a dollar. We'll see...

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read so far!

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few entertaining facts, but this one was not as good as I expected.

[John Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a quick satisfying read. Afterward I put it on my nightstand, rolled over and went to sleep.