If you loved

Books like Sex in history

A sweeping, wryly observed journey through the bedrooms and belief systems of human history. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Sex in history.

intellectual
curious
expansive
illuminating

01
Food in history
Reay Tannahill · 1973
A sweeping journey through human history, told through the universal lens of what we eat and how we gather.
Shares:
- intellectual
- curious
- expansive
02
Adam, Eve, and the serpent
Elaine Pagels
A paradigm-shifting historical excavation that reveals how early Christian politics invented the concept of original sin.
Shares:
- intellectual
- illuminating
- scholarly
- objective
03
Histoire de la sexualité
Michel Foucault,Robert Hurley · 1976
A paradigm-shifting dismantling of everything you thought you knew about desire, power, and the illusion of repression.
Shares:
- intellectual
- scholarly
04
Sex at Dawn
Christopher Ryan
A witty, paradigm-shifting exploration of human evolution that gleefully dismantles the standard narrative of natural monogamy.
Shares:
- curious
05
Masters and Johnson on sex and human loving
William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson · 1986
A foundational, deeply educational exploration that strips away taboo to reveal the biological and psychological realities of human intimacy.
Shares:
- objective
06
Sex God
Rob Bell
An earnest, conversational exploration of how physical intimacy serves as a window into divine connection.
Feels:
- contemplative
- introspective
- open-hearted
07
Why Is Sex Fun?
Jared M. Diamond · 1998
A witty, eye-opening biological safari into the weirdest mating habits in the animal kingdom: our own.
Shares:
- curious
- wry
- accessible
08
The sex atlas
Erwin J. Haeberle
An educational and methodical journey through the psychological, cultural, and societal facets of human sexuality.
Shares:
- objective
09
The act of marriage
Tim LaHaye · 1976
An earnest, pastoral guide that intertwines physical intimacy with traditional Christian devotion.
Feels:
- contemplative
- traditional
- devotional
10
Women's history and ancient history
Sarah B. Pomeroy
A meticulous and illuminating excavation of the silenced voices of women in the ancient world.
Shares:
- intellectual
- illuminating
- scholarly
- objective
11
Human sexual response
William H. Masters · 1966
A groundbreaking, clinical deep-dive that strips away societal taboos to map the raw physiology of human desire.
Shares:
- objective
12
Intimate matters
John D'Emilio and Estelle B. Freedman · 1988
An illuminating, scholarly journey through the private lives and public battles that shaped American sexuality.
Shares:
- illuminating
- scholarly

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