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ANCIENT SEX MANUALS In the Graeco-Roman area, the oldest sex manual known to us was written by Philaenis of Samos, possibly a courtesan (hetaira) of the Hellenistic period (3rd - 1st century BC). Preserved by a series of fragmentary papyruses which attest its popularity, it served as a source of inspiration for Ovid 's '' Ars Amatoria '', written around 3 BC , which is partially a sex manual, and partially a burlesque on the art of love. The '' Kama Sutra '' of Vatsyayana , believed to have been written in the 1st to 6th Centuries , has a notorious reputation as a sex manual, although only a small part of its text is devoted to sex. Other ancient sex manuals include the lost works of Elephantis ; '' Ananga Ranga '', a 12th Century collection of Hindu erotic works; and '' The Perfumed Garden For The Soul's Recreation '', a 16th Century Arabic work by Sheikh Nefzaoui . MODERN SEX MANUALS Despite the existence of ancient sex manuals in other cultures, sex manuals were banned in Western culture for many years. What sexual information was available was generally only available in the form of illicit Pornography or medical books, which generally discussed either sexual physiology or sexual disorders. The authors of medical works went so far as to write the most sexually explicit parts of their texts in Latin , so as to make them inaccessible to the general public. (See Krafft-Ebing 's '' Psychopathia Sexualis '' as an example). A few translations of the ancient works were circulated privately, such as Sir Richard Burton 's translations of the ''Ananga Ranga'' and ''The Perfumed''. In the late 19th Century, Ida Craddock wrote many serious instructional tracts on human sexuality and appropriate, respectful sexual relations between married couples. Among her works were ''The Wedding Night'' and ''Right Marital Living''. In 1918 Marie Stopes published '' Married Love '', considered groundbreaking despite its limitations in details used to discuss sex acts. has 42 printings inits original 1930 edition, and was republished in new editions in 1965 and 2000. David Reuben, M. D.'s book '' Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (But Were Afraid To Ask) '', published in 1969 was one of the first sex manuals that entered mainstream culture in the 1960s. Although it did not feature explicit images of sex acts, its descriptions of sex acts were unprecedentedly detailed. '' The Joy Of Sex '' by Dr. Alex Comfort was the first Sexually Explicit sex manual to be widely published. Its publication in the 1970s opened the way to the widespread publication of sex manuals in the West. As a result, hundreds of sex manuals are now available in print. One of the most well-known in America is The Guide To Getting It On , now in its fifth edition. The Guide has won several prestigious awards and has been translated into 12 foreign languages since it first appeared in 1996. Paul Joannides. "The Guide To Getting It On, Fifth edition." Goofy Foot Press. Oregon, USA. 2006. ISBN 1-885535-69-4. Other reputable guides include:
NOTES AND REFERENCES
LIST OF SEX MANUALS
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