Lexual's Library: Sex History

I love history and I love sex. Don’t ask me which one I love more. When these two topics are combined, it's explosive. Here are ten of my favorites to get you started! 

1. Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality In America (John D’Emilio and Estelle Freedman) 

   
   

   

   University of Chicago Press

   
   

   This is a no-nonsense history book that is written to be devoured in a few sessions, when compared to the more formidable Sex in History by Reay Tannahill. First published in 1988, this is one of the most seminal works in the field of sex history, tracing rape culture, making the case for LGBT rights and reproductive justice, and discussing sexual trends that had previously been obscured. Its success and the discourse it generated led to  the creation of the Journal of the History of Sexuality in 1990. 

2. Sexual Reckonings: Southern Girls in A Troubling Age (Susan Cahn)

   
   

   

   Harvard University Press

   As a North Carolinian, I love this book! It’s about the sexual habits, beliefs, desires, and treatment of white and black girls in the South from 1920-1960. Cahn traces the ways that white girls were vilified and targeted for “reform” schools to keep them from falling into vice and sin, examines how black girls were stereotyped, and discusses the prevalence of teen mothers in an era of strict morality, religiosity, and lack of sex education. A must-read and not bogged down by jargon. There's a free version here.

3. Sex and The Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law From America’s Origins to the Twenty-First Century (Geoffrey R. Stone)

   
   

   

   Liveright

   This book is why I will always stop in small, unassuming bookstores in lonely strip malls.  When you look for books on sex history on amazon, this is not a primary pop up— but it should be. Its one of the most fascinating on this list, examining scandals, religion, and pop cultural phenomena through the lens of the law. Stone makes it clear that sex is potent inertia for starting and halting new legislation, thanks to in-depth research on anti-porn crusaders, reproductive-right-haters, and homophobes who justified their sexual repression with religion. While sexual practices and beliefs about morality shift with the generations and technology, as Stone proves, the law is slow to catch up, moving at a glacial speed.

   
   

4. A Taste For Brown Sugar: Black Women in Pornography (Mireille Miller-Young) 

   
   

   

   Duke University Press Books

   Where else will one get a thorough detailing of black porn stars? While the study of sex work has only been taken more seriously in recent history, it is still extremely white. This scholarly tome contextualizes the treatment and decisions of black performers by examining racism in the industry, the class inequities that lead to many women in adult films, and their positive and negative experiences. The way that black female porn stars are viewed by different audiences— from pimping personalities in hip hop, to respectability politic minded black people to racist whites who want to see degraded black starlets on fetish sites makes for potent material.  Miller-Young discussed being called a pervert and seeking to denigrate black women’s image by doing this subject, but Im so grateful she did. This is the kind of valuable resource that will inform discussions about black women’s history a century from now. I learned so much about black community faves like Pinky, Jeannie Pepper, Carmen Hayes, Angel Kelly, and more. I appreciated Miller-Young’s discussions of the broader world of sex work as well.

   
   

5. Sexuality and Slavery— Reclaiming Intimate Histories In The Americas (Edited by Daina Ramey Berry and Leslie M. Harris)

   
   

   

   University of Georgia Press

   If you want a book that gives you a more fleshed-out picture of black sexuality, this is the book for you. With narratives on Africa, North America, and South America, its even discussion of stereotypes, practices, and misfortunes of the enslaved is a source of contemplation and reflection for me. Because history is complicated, so too are the people who came before us. How have our sexual practices been complicated by trade, inequities, and violence? From discussing consensual sexual relationships to the role of sanctioned sex workers in pre-colonial Africa to the sexual abuse of black men by enslavers, this book seeks to shrug the weight of respectability politics by examining sex as a tool-- with real facts and wisdom.

6. Sex In The Heartland (Beth Bailey)

   
   

   

   Harvard University Press

   On college campuses before the 60s, students were often treated like kids, their professors and advisors acting in loco parentis to police for morality infractions or sexually deviant behavior. But as college campuses loosened rules, campuses became hotbeds of sexual activity and exploration. By examining the University of Kansas college town of Lawrence before and after the 1960s sexual revolution, Bailey gives us a narrative that ties together the emergence of feminism, debates about human rights, and the radical politics of young people during the Vietnam era. She demonstrates that sex isn’t just sex in a really compelling way. 

   
   

7. Twentieth-Century Sexuality: A History (Angus McLaren)

   
   

   

   Wiley-Blackwell

   This is a pretty good book, though a bit dated. Its very valuable for understanding the evolution of sexology and sex studies, because McLaren discusses Freud, Kinsey, and the homophobic experiments of Nazi scientists. 

   
   

8. A Brief History of Oral Sex (David DePierre)

   

   Exposit Books

   How do you trace the history of such a controversial act? Thankfully, DePierre searched through a bevy of ancient, medieval, and religious texts to find out more about cunnilingus and fellatio. While short, its a highly informative work that will jumpstart your journey into oral history. 

   
   

9. A Curious History of Sex (Kate Lister)

   
   

   

   Unbound

   If you know and love @WhoresofYore on social media, you’ll love this book. Lister’s funny tweets and threads are no match for her book, which is chock full of fun facts (mostly skewing European, as she’s British) separated thematically about sex and food, oral sex, anal sex, quirky and restrictive laws, and sex toys.  It’s definitely a good addition for any historian’s collection. 

   
   

10. Porno Chic and The Sex Wars: American Sexual Representation In The 70s (Edited by Carolyn Bronstein and Whitney Strub)

    
    

    

    University of Massachusetts Pres

    In the 70s when pornography films were accessible and considered glamorous, what effect did this have on feminism and women, LGBT rights and lives, and conservative women who wanted to please their men? How were different Americans represented in porn or targeted by those who sold it? With fascinating essays like Mass Market Pornography For Women: Bob Guccione’s Viva Magazine and the New Woman of The 70s, this book will give you a wide range of opinions on the sexual attitudes of the 70s. I highly recommend it. 

This list is nowhere near exhaustive (I smell a Part Two!), but it’s a good start for your journey into the world of sex history. Have you read any of these books? Do you plan to pick up one soon? Let me know in the comments! 

Check out my YouTube series, Lets Talk About Sex History!