Based on the popular research project Whores of Yore and written with her trademark humour and wit, this book draws on Dr Kate Lister's extensive knowledge of the history of sex. From medieval impotence tests to 20th-century testicle thefts, and from the erotic frescoes of Pompeii to modern-day sex doll brothels, Lister unabashedly gets down into history's pants, debunking myths, challenging stereotypes and generally getting her hands dirty. This is not an exhaustive study of every sexual quirk, kink and ritual across every culture throughout time - that would be writing an encyclopaedia - but rather a drop in the ocean of the history of sex. The act of sex hasn't changed much throughout history, but the ways in which society dictates how it is understood and practised have varied significantly over the years. Humans are the only creatures that stigmatise certain sexual practices, and sex remains a deeply divisive topic around the world. Attitudes will change and develop – hopefully for the better – but sex will never be free of stigma or shame unless we recognise where it comes from. A fascinating book peppered with surprising historical jargon and illustrated with astonishing and heady images from the past, meticulously documented.