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Nonfiction Books » Health & Lifestyle » Sex & Sexuality

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Sex & Sexuality

Last updated: November 13, 2024

Our interviews on sex and sexuality cover everything from sex education to sperm. Relationship coach and agony aunt Susan Quilliam chooses her best books on sex, including the 1972 The Joy of Sex by Alex Comfort and Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski. The Joy of Sex, she argues, is a classic, but suffers from the limitations of its time, including “a lot on the man as the active person”.  Quilliam’s new edition of the book has changed all this and removed the regular references to group sex and the suggestion of having sex on a moving motorbike. Nagoski’s book, Quilliam argues, needs no editing, and is “one of the best books ever written . . . for guiding women in particular through the minefield of their sexuality in today’s world.”

Eric Berkowitz—journalist, author and lawyer and author of Sex and Punishment: 4,000 years of Judging Desire—talks about sex and society.  He chooses works of literature, including The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee as well as history (Roman Sexualities, edited by Judith P Hallett and Marilyn B Skinner).  His own book ends at the end of the 19th century, because if he’d continued, he argued, the last chapter “would have been 450 pages long”.  Faramerz Dabhoiwala looks at the 18th century sexual revolution.  He chooses, amongst others, Clarissa by Samuel Richardson and Letters to the Women of England by Mary Robinson, arguing these books illustrate the nature of that revolution and the extent to which women were relatively disadvantaged by it.

Jonathan Zimmerman, Professor of Education and History at New York University explores the minefield of sex education and argues that any attempt to find a value-free way of teaching the subject “is a fool’s errand”.  Kate Figes talks about sex and marriage; she also chooses Comfort's The Joy of Sex. Her other choices include Married Love by Marie Stopes and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Evan Zimroth, the poet and novelist, chooses her best books on adultery. Fittingly, she breaks our rules and chooses six books.

Edmund White chooses his best works of gay fiction, including titles by Jean Genet, Christopher Isherwood, Alan Hollinghurst and E M Forster. Finally, to sex and sexuality in the animal kingdom as a whole: Tim Birkhead talks about sperm, how testes size among primates correlates very closely with promiscuity in a given species and how hens can reject the sperm of inferior cockerels, amongst other fascinating insights. Humans, he tells us, “are at the lower end of the [primate] scale, we’re not as exciting as chimpanzees [every male in the troupe copulates with every female every day], but not as dull as gorillas [silverbacks have no competition and so don’t need much sperm].”

    The best books on Sex, recommended by Susan Quilliam

  • Read
    The best books on Sex - Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski

    1

    Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life
    by Emily Nagoski

  • Read
    The best books on Sex - The Joy of Sex by Alex Comfort

    2

    The Joy of Sex
    by Alex Comfort

  • Read
    The best books on Sex - The Hite Report by Shere Hite

    3

    The Hite Report
    by Shere Hite

  • Read
    The best books on Sex - Chéri by Colette

    4

    Chéri
    by Colette

  • Read
    The best books on Sex - Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

    5

    Lady Chatterley's Lover
    by D. H. Lawrence

  • Read
    The best books on Sex - Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

    6

    Brokeback Mountain
    by Annie Proulx

  • Sex: it's all around us, but many of us still have questions. Relationship coach and author Susan Quilliam, who updated the 1970s classic, The Joy of Sex, talks us through the best sex guides and also some of the groundbreaking books that broke taboos and paved the way to more open-minded sexual attitudes.

  • The best books on Sex - Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski
  • The best books on Sex - The Joy of Sex by Alex Comfort
  • The best books on Sex - The Hite Report by Shere Hite
  • The best books on Sex - Chéri by Colette
  • The best books on Sex - Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence
  • The best books on Sex - Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

The best books on Sex, recommended by Susan Quilliam

Sex: it’s all around us, but many of us still have questions. Relationship coach and author Susan Quilliam, who updated the 1970s classic, The Joy of Sex, talks us through the best sex guides and also some of the groundbreaking books that broke taboos and paved the way to more open-minded sexual attitudes.

The best books on Sex, recommended by Susan Quilliam

    The best books on Dating, recommended by Mia Levitin

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - Ars Amatoria, or The Art of Love by Ovid, translated by Rolfe Humphries

    1

    Ars Amatoria, or The Art of Love
    by Ovid, translated by Rolfe Humphries

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America by Beth L. Bailey

    2

    From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America
    by Beth L. Bailey

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race, and Identity — What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves by Christian Rudder

    3

    Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race, and Identity — What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves
    by Christian Rudder

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - Modern Romance: An Investigation by Aziz Ansari

    4

    Modern Romance: An Investigation
    by Aziz Ansari

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - The Curious History of Dating: From Jane Austen to Tinder by Nichi Hodgson

    5

    The Curious History of Dating: From Jane Austen to Tinder
    by Nichi Hodgson

  • “Love,” wrote Ovid, “is no assignment for cowards.” Cultural critic Mia Levitin talks us through the history of seduction from the Classical era, through ballroom dancing, calling cards and into the present age of swiping on our mobile phones. Here she recommends five of the best books for those braving the modern dating scene.

  • The best books on Dating - Ars Amatoria, or The Art of Love by Ovid, translated by Rolfe Humphries
  • The best books on Dating - From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America by Beth L. Bailey
  • The best books on Dating - Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race, and Identity — What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves by Christian Rudder
  • The best books on Dating - Modern Romance: An Investigation by Aziz Ansari
  • The best books on Dating - The Curious History of Dating: From Jane Austen to Tinder by Nichi Hodgson

The best books on Dating, recommended by Mia Levitin

“Love,” wrote Ovid, “is no assignment for cowards.” Cultural critic Mia Levitin talks us through the history of seduction from the Classical era, through ballroom dancing, calling cards and into the present age of swiping on our mobile phones. Here she recommends five of the best books for those braving the modern dating scene.

The best books on Dating, recommended by Mia Levitin

    The best books on Sex and Teenagers, recommended by Jennifer Hirsch

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Risky Lessons: Sex Education and Social Inequality by Jessica Fields

    1

    Risky Lessons: Sex Education and Social Inequality
    by Jessica Fields

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex by Amy Schalet

    2

    Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex
    by Amy Schalet

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Sex, Teens, and Everything in Between by Shafia Zaloom

    3

    Sex, Teens, and Everything in Between
    by Shafia Zaloom

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Yes! No! A First Conversation about Consent by Isabel Roxas, Jessica Ralli & Megan Madison

    4

    Yes! No! A First Conversation about Consent
    by Isabel Roxas, Jessica Ralli & Megan Madison

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

    5

    Speak
    by Laurie Halse Anderson

  • We have a responsibility to educate our teenagers about sex and intimacy, says Jennifer Hirsch—Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University and the co-author of a new book on campus sexual assault. Here she recommends five books that offer parents and teens guidance on how to approach an often fraught topic.

  • The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Risky Lessons: Sex Education and Social Inequality by Jessica Fields
  • The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex by Amy Schalet
  • The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Sex, Teens, and Everything in Between by Shafia Zaloom
  • The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Yes! No! A First Conversation about Consent by Isabel Roxas, Jessica Ralli & Megan Madison
  • The best books on Sex and Teenagers - Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The best books on Sex and Teenagers, recommended by Jennifer Hirsch

We have a responsibility to educate our teenagers about sex and intimacy, says Jennifer Hirsch—Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University and the co-author of a new book on campus sexual assault. Here she recommends five books that offer parents and teens guidance on how to approach an often fraught topic.

The best books on Sex and Teenagers, recommended by Jennifer Hirsch

    The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution, recommended by Faramerz Dabhoiwala

  • Read
    The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - Social Bliss Considered by Peter Annet

    1

    Social Bliss Considered
    by Peter Annet

  • Read
    The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - The Journals of James Boswell by James Boswell

    2

    The Journals of James Boswell
    by James Boswell

  • Read
    The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

    3

    Clarissa
    by Samuel Richardson

  • Read
    The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - A Letter to the Women of England by Mary Robinson

    4

    A Letter to the Women of England
    by Mary Robinson

  • Read
    The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - Ancient and Modern Pederasty Investigated and Exemplify'd by Thomas Cannon

    5

    Ancient and Modern Pederasty Investigated and Exemplify'd
    by Thomas Cannon

  • The roots of our (generally) open attitude to sex lie not in the sixties but the 1760s, says the historian and author of The Origins of Sex, who explores this earlier sexual revolution through its literature.

  • The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - Social Bliss Considered by Peter Annet
  • The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - The Journals of James Boswell by James Boswell
  • The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
  • The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - A Letter to the Women of England by Mary Robinson
  • The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution - Ancient and Modern Pederasty Investigated and Exemplify'd by Thomas Cannon

The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution, recommended by Faramerz Dabhoiwala

The roots of our (generally) open attitude to sex lie not in the sixties but the 1760s, says the historian and author of The Origins of Sex, who explores this earlier sexual revolution through its literature.

The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution, recommended by Faramerz Dabhoiwala

    Erotic Writing by Arab Women, recommended by Selma Dabbagh

  • Read
    Erotic Writing by Arab Women - The Proof of the Honey by Salwa Al Neimi and Carol Perkins (translator)

    1

    The Proof of the Honey
    by Salwa Al Neimi and Carol Perkins (translator)

  • Read
    Erotic Writing by Arab Women - In the Eye of the Sun by Ahdaf Soueif

    2

    In the Eye of the Sun
    by Ahdaf Soueif

  • Read
    Erotic Writing by Arab Women - The Affair by Ghita El Khayat & Robert Thompson (translator)

    3

    The Affair
    by Ghita El Khayat & Robert Thompson (translator)

  • Read
    Erotic Writing by Arab Women - Classical Poems by Arab Women: A Bilingual Anthology by Abdullah al-Udhari (editor)

    4

    Classical Poems by Arab Women: A Bilingual Anthology
    by Abdullah al-Udhari (editor)

  • Read
    Erotic Writing by Arab Women - I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops by Hanan al-Shaykh

    5

    I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops
    by Hanan al-Shaykh

  • Arab women have been writing erotic literature for millennia and have become more creative and daring in recent years in the wake of the Arab Spring and the spread of social media, says novelist Selma Dabbagh, editor of a new anthology, We Wrote in Symbols: Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers. Here, she picks five key examples of erotic writing by women of the region.

  • Erotic Writing by Arab Women - The Proof of the Honey by Salwa Al Neimi and Carol Perkins (translator)
  • Erotic Writing by Arab Women - In the Eye of the Sun by Ahdaf Soueif
  • Erotic Writing by Arab Women - The Affair by Ghita El Khayat & Robert Thompson (translator)
  • Erotic Writing by Arab Women - Classical Poems by Arab Women: A Bilingual Anthology by Abdullah al-Udhari (editor)
  • Erotic Writing by Arab Women - I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops by Hanan al-Shaykh

Erotic Writing by Arab Women, recommended by Selma Dabbagh

Arab women have been writing erotic literature for millennia and have become more creative and daring in recent years in the wake of the Arab Spring and the spread of social media, says novelist Selma Dabbagh, editor of a new anthology, We Wrote in Symbols: Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers. Here, she picks five key examples of erotic writing by women of the region.

Erotic Writing by Arab Women, recommended by Selma Dabbagh

    The best books on Sex Education, recommended by Jonathan Zimmerman

  • Read
    The best books on Sex Education - Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind

    1

    Spring Awakening
    by Frank Wedekind

  • Read
    The best books on Sex Education - Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead

    2

    Coming of Age in Samoa
    by Margaret Mead

  • Read
    The best books on Sex Education - Sex and Society in Sweden by Birgitta Linner

    3

    Sex and Society in Sweden
    by Birgitta Linner

  • Read
    The best books on Sex Education - The Means of Reproduction by Michelle Goldberg

    4

    The Means of Reproduction
    by Michelle Goldberg

  • Read
    The best books on Sex Education - Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex by Amy Schalet

    5

    Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex
    by Amy Schalet

  • A one-size-fits-all approach to sex education cannot function in a globalised world, says professor of education and history, Jonathan Zimmerman. He picks the best books on sex education.

  • The best books on Sex Education - Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind
  • The best books on Sex Education - Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead
  • The best books on Sex Education - Sex and Society in Sweden by Birgitta Linner
  • The best books on Sex Education - The Means of Reproduction by Michelle Goldberg
  • The best books on Sex Education - Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex by Amy Schalet

The best books on Sex Education, recommended by Jonathan Zimmerman

A one-size-fits-all approach to sex education cannot function in a globalised world, says professor of education and history, Jonathan Zimmerman. He picks the best books on sex education.

The best books on Sex Education, recommended by Jonathan Zimmerman

    The best books on Sex and Society, recommended by Eric Berkowitz

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

    1

    The Picture of Dorian Gray
    by Oscar Wilde

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - Disorder in the Court by George Robb and Nancy Erber (editors)

    2

    Disorder in the Court
    by George Robb and Nancy Erber (editors)

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman

    3

    The Children’s Hour
    by Lillian Hellman

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - Roman Sexualities by Judith P Hallett and Marilyn B Skinner (editors)

    4

    Roman Sexualities
    by Judith P Hallett and Marilyn B Skinner (editors)

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    5

    To Kill a Mockingbird
    by Harper Lee

  • For thousands of years, human societies have tried to regulate sexual activity. The author of Sex and Punishment tells us why this should be so, and how what’s permissible has varied according to time and place.

  • The best books on Sex and Society - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  • The best books on Sex and Society - Disorder in the Court by George Robb and Nancy Erber (editors)
  • The best books on Sex and Society - The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman
  • The best books on Sex and Society - Roman Sexualities by Judith P Hallett and Marilyn B Skinner (editors)
  • The best books on Sex and Society - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The best books on Sex and Society, recommended by Eric Berkowitz

For thousands of years, human societies have tried to regulate sexual activity. The author of Sex and Punishment tells us why this should be so, and how what’s permissible has varied according to time and place.

The best books on Sex and Society, recommended by Eric Berkowitz

    The best books on Queer History, recommended by Benno Gammerl

  • Read
    The best books on Queer History - Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution by Susan Stryker

    1

    Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution
    by Susan Stryker

  • Read
    The best books on Queer History - Queer London by Matt Houlbrook

    2

    Queer London
    by Matt Houlbrook

  • Read
    The best books on Queer History - Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy & Madeline D. Davis

    3

    Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community
    by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy & Madeline D. Davis

  • Read
    The best books on Queer History - Not Straight, Not White: Black Gay Men from the March on Washington to the AIDS Crisis by Kevin Mumford

    4

    Not Straight, Not White: Black Gay Men from the March on Washington to the AIDS Crisis
    by Kevin Mumford

  • Read
    The best books on Queer History - How Soon is Now? Medieval Texts, Amateur Readers and the Queerness of Time by Carolyn Dinshaw

    5

    How Soon is Now? Medieval Texts, Amateur Readers and the Queerness of Time
    by Carolyn Dinshaw

  • Queer history is not simply about exploring the historical incidence of non-heteronormative sexual desire and experience. It is also a way of looking at the past and of placing gender and sexuality at the heart of historical change. Here, Benno Gammerl, professor of Gender and Sexuality at the European University Institute, explains.

  • The best books on Queer History - Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution by Susan Stryker
  • The best books on Queer History - Queer London by Matt Houlbrook
  • The best books on Queer History - Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy & Madeline D. Davis
  • The best books on Queer History - Not Straight, Not White: Black Gay Men from the March on Washington to the AIDS Crisis by Kevin Mumford
  • The best books on Queer History - How Soon is Now? Medieval Texts, Amateur Readers and the Queerness of Time by Carolyn Dinshaw

The best books on Queer History, recommended by Benno Gammerl

Queer history is not simply about exploring the historical incidence of non-heteronormative sexual desire and experience. It is also a way of looking at the past and of placing gender and sexuality at the heart of historical change. Here, Benno Gammerl, professor of Gender and Sexuality at the European University Institute, explains.

The best books on Queer History, recommended by Benno Gammerl

    Landmark LGBTQI books, recommended by Rosie Wilby

  • Read
    Landmark LGBTQI books - Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

    1

    Tipping the Velvet
    by Sarah Waters

  • Read
    Landmark LGBTQI books - Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

    2

    Tales of the City
    by Armistead Maupin

  • Read
    Landmark LGBTQI books - Out of the Woods by Luke Turner

    3

    Out of the Woods
    by Luke Turner

  • Read
    Landmark LGBTQI books - Detransition, Baby: A Novel by Torrey Peters

    4

    Detransition, Baby: A Novel
    by Torrey Peters

  • Read
    Landmark LGBTQI books - Golden Boy: A Novel by Abigail Tarttelin

    5

    Golden Boy: A Novel
    by Abigail Tarttelin

  • Queer readers have had to transpose themselves into heteronormative stories for most of their lives, says the comedian and writer Rosie Wilby. That's one of the reasons why straight, cis- readers should make time to read books from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex community. Here she highlights five landmark books by LGBTQI writers that everyone should read.  

  • Landmark LGBTQI books - Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
  • Landmark LGBTQI books - Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
  • Landmark LGBTQI books - Out of the Woods by Luke Turner
  • Landmark LGBTQI books - Detransition, Baby: A Novel by Torrey Peters
  • Landmark LGBTQI books - Golden Boy: A Novel by Abigail Tarttelin

Landmark LGBTQI books, recommended by Rosie Wilby

Queer readers have had to transpose themselves into heteronormative stories for most of their lives, says the comedian and writer Rosie Wilby. That’s one of the reasons why straight, cis- readers should make time to read books from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex community. Here she highlights five landmark books by LGBTQI writers that everyone should read.  

Landmark LGBTQI books, recommended by Rosie Wilby

    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet

    1

    Our Lady of the Flowers
    by Jean Genet

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

    2

    A Single Man
    by Christopher Isherwood

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - The Folding Star by Alan Hollinghurst

    3

    The Folding Star
    by Alan Hollinghurst

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - Maurice by E M Forster

    4

    Maurice
    by E M Forster

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran

    5

    Dancer from the Dance
    by Andrew Holleran

  • The author, critic and creative writing professor tells us about the battle to establish gay fiction. He recommends five novels where beautiful writing and gay themes come together.

  • Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet
  • Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
  • Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - The Folding Star by Alan Hollinghurst
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Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction

The author, critic and creative writing professor tells us about the battle to establish gay fiction. He recommends five novels where beautiful writing and gay themes come together.

Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction
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