Not what I was expecting... This was a laying out of sexuality mentions in cases from the Old Bailey, for most of the instances mentioned, and it was a lot of this happened there/then and that happened there/then which means this/that per whatever topic was being handled at the time. The very first topic being 'Fuck' but it's all about the usage of the word itself threw me off my game already...
Overall, I was thinking this would be what Sapiens was to the evolution of humanity, Sex would be for, well, sex throughout history. It turned out to be more a compendium of cases studies through old records, which isn't really what I was hoping to get from this book.

A fantastic journey through humanity's sexual past, highlighting the LGBTQ+ community in the most refreshing way.

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.

This book was such an interesting read. In depth and detailed. Riddell underlines and explores how sex and sexual pleasure has changed through the ages with articles to back up her words. There should definitely be more written on this subject.

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

This book was absolutely fascinating. Great insight and a history lesson about sex through the ages. Definitely a recommended lesson in sex.

a very interesting dive into various explorations and stories of Sex. . Thanks to netgalley for an electronic advanced reading copy.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

or a culture that is seemingly obsessed with sex, it seems like we're quite old fashioned in the way that we view its place through history- you know, the idea that the Victorians put covers on their chair legs and that no one was having sex outside marriage. But the real history of sex is that society has always been obsessed with it, one way or another, it's just now we have cameras on our phones and technology is taking over. Sex is weird- and it always kind of has been. It makes church and state freak out while everyone else just gets on and does it regardless. Whether the bishops or the politicians liked it, sex was everywhere.

This book brilliantly takes us through the different ways that sex has shaped history and the way it has led us to our- often quite frankly problematic- views today. I was aware of, say, the sauciness of The Canterbury Tales or the romance of Heloise and Abelard, but not of the impact that these events hundreds of years ago had. That stereotype we have of the Victorians being a load of piano leg covering prudes? You have the emerging middle class of the time to thank for that- and for a law that allowed women to be arrested and locked away for months if they looked like they might have an STD- those in the working and upper classes were going about their merry way without the wringing of hands or clutching of pearls.

As someone who knows a little about LGBTQ+ history (my grandma translated the Anne Lister diaries that would later be made into Gentleman Jack), I was fascinated with the depth and breadth offered here- Anne herself makes many appearances and she was a woman who did her own thing, regardless of what was expected of her. I also learned so much about how the struggle of the trans community is sadly not a new one. Interestingly, views have been more liberal than we might expect- for example, in Germany between the wars there were clinics offering revolutionary and caring treatment for its patients in the trans community. Unfortunately all this was swept away when Hitler seized power. Also there has been recent criticism of a well-known academic/conspiracy theorist's book about the sentencing of gay men in Victorian Britain, in which records were misinterpreted or misunderstood and I enjoyed reading this being subtly corrected in the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's fascinating to learn about how our ancestors viewed themselves, their bodies and their lovers, regardless of what dry, dusty history books have tried to tell us (that story about doctors inventing vibrators to treat their hysterical patients? Probably not true). Learning about how people in the past viewed rape, sex work, contraception- all topics that we're still debating now- was eye opening. The fact that Riddell manages to explore these topics with both humour and a rallying cry that we can make sex better for everyone, regardless of who they are and who they love, is really a fantastic achievement..

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!

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.

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.

An absolutely superb piece of writing, smashing through clichés and ahistorical stereotypes to find the way that we have really loved through human history.ive been waiting and waiting for a new book from this author and it absolutely did not disappoint.

As a librarian I must recommend this book be acquired for your library. It’s a very accessible read about history and sex and is well researched. A must for your library’s collection.

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.

Very interesting study of sex, sexuality and eroticism through the ages, taken in themed chapters that allow a deep dive into the topic areas - personally I found this a really engaging way to address history, culture, identity and politics (and the interplay). Written with academic rigour, but with a direct and straightforward approach, I found myself constantly surprised at the upending of ‘historical convention’ such as the strait laced Victorians and the cure for hysteria, and exploring some of the more unknown areas of queer life in earlier centuries,

Bonus points for tackling the discredited Naomi Wolf ‘Outrages’ book without actually mentioning the name - Fern Riddell’s Twitter thread regarding this was how I found the book, so could draw the connection. Entertaining and informative, throughly recommended.

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, with an eye on current polarising debates.