The History Of Orgies

An orgy, the dictionary tells us, is “a wild gathering, marked by promiscuous sexual activity, excessive drinking, etc.” Burgo Partridge tells us precisely what that has meant down through the ages. He begins with the Greeks, who celebrated sexuality at Dionysian festivals, and the Romans, who imported unwholesome brutalities into their orgiastic celebrations. We then learn of the penchant for group sex displayed by medieval popes, the junketings of Restoration England, the aristocratic hedonists of the Hellfire Club and Scotland’s notorious Wig Club, the orgiastic tastes of Casanova and the Marquis de Sade, right into the 20th century and the bizarre excesses of Aleister Crowley.

As I was preparing material for my book The Bloomsbury Set I came upon the life of one of the Bloomsbury children, Burgo Partridge, and his book A History of Orgies. I had already put aside a great deal of material on the subject of orgies, and inspired by both the title of his book, and the book itself, I realized that there was now far more material on the subject than in 1958 when the book came out, 60 years ago. The story of Burgo began with his mother, Francis Marshall, who loved Lytton Strachey, a homosexual in love with Ralf Partridge. Partridge was bisexual enough to fall in love with Francis and ask her to marry him, which she accepted in the hope of having an easier access to Strachey! This worked, as Strachey not only accompanied the couple on their honeymoon to Venice, but he paid for it, as well as their first home where he was a constant visitor. Strachey's early death brought Frances and Ralph closer together, forming a marriage stronger than most, of whom Burgo was the issue. I was born far later than Burgo but thanks to my research I was with the family while Burgo grew to manhood, a kind of uncle, who shed tears when I learned that Burgo was carried away by a heart attack in 1960 at age 26. As for this volume, my intention is to bring Burgo's book up to date, to add far more material, with far more detail, all thanks to recent research. Ancient Greece and Rome will, of course, have their place, as will the courts of France and England, Germany and Russia, the Belle �poque with Cocteau and Proust, Americana represented by the triumvirate Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal, and our own day and those still among us, Alain Delon and film director Xavier Dolan.

From tribal religious rituals to the Playboy mansion, and from ancient Rome to Burning Man, Plays Well in Groups explores the phenomenon of group sex. Author Katherine Frank draws on surveys, ethnographic research, participant interviews, and more to provide explanations for both, participation in group sex and our complex reactions to it, from fascination to fear. This book looks at group sex across cultures—who has it, and why. Group sex is almost always taboo and often criminalized, and yet it persists across cultures throughout history. Plays Well in Groups looks at the symbolism of orgies, as well as contemporary manifestations of group sex in bathhouses and public sex venues, at BDSM and swinging parties, on Craigslist, and in political scandals, Tantra classes, reality television, and more. Frank explores the many reasons people participate in group sex, from arousal to spiritual transcendence, in this bold study of subversive sexuality.

This career-spanning artist's book presents an alternate history of the photography of New York-based photographer Lucas Blalock (born 1978), featuring new images and previously unseen versions of existing artworks. Employing his signature style of unconcealed digital alterations, including erasures and drawings, and working in both color and black and white, Blalock emphasizes what is absent or obliterated in his manipulated portraits, scenes and still lives, often with a deadpan humor. In A Grocer's Orgy, the artist's layout of such images brings to the forefront the underlying themes, formal connections and art-historical reference points that are often overlooked in the context of his exhibitions.

Since Darwin's day, we've been told that sexual monogamy comes naturally to our species. Mainstream science—as well as religious and cultural institutions—has maintained that men and women evolved in families in which a man's possessions and protection were exchanged for a woman's fertility and fidelity. But this narrative is collapsing. Fewer and fewer couples are getting married, and divorce rates keep climbing as adultery and flagging libido drag down even seemingly solid marriages. How can reality be reconciled with the accepted narrative? It can't be, according to renegade thinkers Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethå. While debunking almost everything we "know" about sex, they offer a bold alternative explanation in this provocative and brilliant book. Ryan and Jethå's central contention is that human beings evolved in egalitarian groups that shared food, child care, and, often, sexual partners. Weaving together convergent, frequently overlooked evidence from anthropology, archaeology, primatology, anatomy, and psychosexuality, the authors show how far from human nature monogamy really is. Human beings everywhere and in every era have confronted the same familiar, intimate situations in surprisingly different ways. The authors expose the ancient roots of human sexuality while pointing toward a more optimistic future illuminated by our innate capacities for love, cooperation, and generosity. With intelligence, humor, and wonder, Ryan and Jethå show how our promiscuous past haunts our struggles over monogamy, sexual orientation, and family dynamics. They explore why long-term fidelity can be so difficult for so many; why sexual passion tends to fade even as love deepens; why many middle-aged men risk everything for transient affairs with younger women; why homosexuality persists in the face of standard evolutionary logic; and what the human body reveals about the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality. In the tradition of the best historical and scientific writing, Sex at Dawn unapologetically upends unwarranted assumptions and unfounded conclusions while offering a revolutionary understanding of why we live and love as we do.

Vicki Leon, the popular author of the Uppity Women series (more than 335,000 in print), has turned her impressive writing and research skills to the entertaining and unusual array of the peculiar jobs, prized careers and passionate pursuits of ancient Greece and Rome. From Architect to Vicarius (a deputy or stand-in)-and everything in between-Working IX to V introduces readers to the most unique (dream incubator), most courageous (elephant commander), and even the most ordinary (postal worker) jobs of the ancient world. Vicki Leon brought a light and thoughtful touch to women's history in her earlier books, and she brings the same joy and singular voice to the daily work of the ancient world. You'll be surprised to learn how bloody an editor's job used to be, how even a slave could purchase a vicarius to carry out his duties and that early Greeks had their own ghost-busters with the apt title of psychopompus. In addition to stand-alone profiles on callings, trades, and professions, Leon offers numerous sidebar entries about actual people who performed these jobs, giving a human face to the ancient workplace. Combining wit and rich scholarship, Working IX to V is filled with anecdotes, insights, and little-known facts that will inform and amuse readers of all ages. For anyone captivated by the ancient past, Working IX to V brings a unique insight into the daily grind of the classical world. You may never look at your day-to-day work in the same way!

This "spiritual archaeology" of pot history, science, folklore, cuisine and belles lettres assembles the archive of the Western encounter with the "altered" indiginous Other, from North America to India and elsewhere. Includes one of the most comprehensive bibliographies of marijuana literature ever assembled for the general reader.

A window into a life of insatiable desire and uninhibited sex - this is Parisian art critic Catherine M.'s account of her sexual awakening and her unrestrained pursuit of pleasure. From the glamorous singles clubs of Paris to the Bois de Boulogne, she describes her erotic experiences in precise and beautiful detail. A phenomenal bestseller throughout Europe, The Sexual Life of Catherine M., like Fifty Shades of Grey, breaks with accepted ideas of sex and examines many alternative manifestations of desire. Told in spare, elegant prose, her story will shock, enlighten and liberate you.

‘Nora Ephron can write about anything better than anybody else can write about anything’ New York Times A bitingly funny, provocative and revealing look at our foibles, passions and pastimes – from the much-missed, bestselling author of I Feel Bad About My Neck and I Remember Nothing. From her Academy Award-nominated screenplays (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Julie & Julia) to her bestselling fiction and essays, Nora Ephron was one of the most gifted, prolific and versatile writers of our time. In this classic collection of magazine articles, Ephron does what she does best: embrace culture with love, cynicism and unmatched wit. From tracking down the beginnings of the self-help movement, to dressing down the fashion world’s most powerful publication, to capturing a glimpse of a legendary movie in the making, these timeless pieces tap into our enduring obsessions with celebrity, food, romance, clothes, entertainment and sex. Whether casting her ingenious eye on public figures or herself, Ephron deftly weaves her journalistic skill with the intimate style of an essayist and the incomparable talent of a great storyteller.

It has forever been said that we are ruled by our emotions, but this today is truer than ever. Yet, the emotions are utterly neglected by our system of education, leading to millions of mis-lived lives. This book proposes to redress the balance, exploring over 30 emotions and drawing some powerful and astonishing conclusions along the way.