Product Description

It is the seat of female sexual pleasure, and the passage for both the creation and the birth of humankind. Yet we know less about the vagina than we do about any other organ of the human body. Why? In this dazzling smorgasbord of facts about female genitalia, Catherine Blackledge explores how the vagina has been conceived and misconceived over the centuries. In the past, medicine has misrepresented female sexual anatomy, reducing its remarkable complexities to the notion of a passive vessel. But, as this book shows, science is at last beginning to reveal the true structure and function of female genitalia, and the dynamic nature of the vagina's role in both sexual pleasure and reproduction. With a wide-ranging perspective that takes in prehistoric art, ancient history, linguistics, mythology, evolutinary theory, reproductive biology and medicine, Catherine Blackledge unveils the hidden marvels of the female form.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #432113 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Thomas Laquer, TLS
'Sings of the triumphant vagina that may have its detractors in the West but elsewhere - and in nature - is heroic, honoured and revered.... The West gets it wrong. But even in our benighted civilzation the vagina's glories are just below the surface and there to be recuperated.... This is a finely produced book from a major publisher and it is meant to bee taken seriously.

Review
'Sings of the triumphant vagina that may have its detractors in the West but elsewhere - and in nature - is heroic, honoured and revered.... The West gets it wrong. But even in our benighted civilzation the vagina's glories are just below the surface and there to be recuperated.... This is a finely produced book from a major publisher and it is meant to bee taken seriously. (Thomas Laquer TLS )

'For a full discussion of the revolution in biological thinking about the vagina that has happened over the last seven years, you need Catherine Blackledge's exuberant (and PURPLE) THE STORY OF V' (Lucy Ellman The Herald )

From the Inside Flap
It is the seat of female sexual pleasure, the site of the creation of humankind and the channel for its birth. It is also a potent arouser of sexuality. Yet we know less about the vagina - its structure and function - than we do about any other organ of the human body. Why? THE STORY OF V explores how female genitalia have been conceived and misconceived over the centuries and today. A new look is long overdue. More than two millennis of misinformation has resulted in a western culture where we hold back from mentioning or showing the vagina; where this organ when seen publically is most commonly viewed as pornographic; and where, of all the organs of the human body, the vagina remains the most clouded in mystery, myth and biased, out-dated beliefs. In the past, medicine has misrepresented female sexual anatomy, reducing its remarkable complexities to the notion of a pssive vessel. But, as this book shows, science is at last beginning to reveal the true structure and function of female genitalia, and the dynamic nature of the vagina's role in both sexual pleasure and reproduction. The result is nothing less than a vaginal revolution. With a wide-ranging perspective that takes in prehistoric art, ancient history, linguistics, mythology, evolutinary theory, reproductive biology and medicine, Catherine Blackledge unveils the hidden marvels of the female form. Dr Catherine Blackledge was born in 1968. Following a science degree and PhD, she worked as a science and medical journalist and feelance broadcaster. This is her first book.

Customer Reviews

" A Vaginal Revolution!"
Quite simply this book is amazing!

I was lucky enough to attend a talk given by Catherine Blackledge and I must say this was a truly interesting event. Originally I bought the book with the intention to give it to a friend however I read the first few pages and was hooked!

The book explains anything and everything regarding female genitalia.

Blackledge describes the vagina and its journey through history superbly; you would never have imagined the power it used to hold so many years ago. In today's society it is seen as purely a sexual object with the ability to produce children yet back then sex rarely came into the equation, it was seen as an almighty object with unbelievable powers like I said.

Blackledge explores a variety of different species and the amazing differences and abilities their genitals hold. And once again all I can say is that it is extremely interesting discovering something about the vagina that would never normally be revealed.

This book should be read by everyone, the vagina is something that is not often talked about and I believe this book could have the ability to change that if more people read it.

A definite must buy!

A real 'enthusiasts guide'
They say that there is a trend for the editors of travel guides in the 'Lonely Planet' or 'Rough' genre to write their books without ever having visited the country in question. For a male to write about the vagina and convey a true breadth of experience of the subject would seem to be about as advisable. Yet that has been the pattern in the past in books on intimate female anatomy and function. Here at last is a woman writing on the subject who clearly has not only a serious enquiring interest, but has researched her subject in detail and most important of all has an infectious but unintrusive personal enthusiasm for that bit of her body which the French nineteenth century artist Gustave Courbet described as 'The Origin of the World'. This is a book which is clearly fully and seriously researched (complete with bibliographies) but which keeps the reader interested from start to finish and as logic would demand, the section on orgasm is the climax of the book. After reading Blackledge's work, one's uneasy feelings are confirmed that the vagina is indeed the almighty organ that has ruled the world and brought down dictators and monarchs. And why not?!! The only other place I'm aware of where it receives such a detailed,warm and sympathetic exposition from one of its own owners is the Canadian website 'All About My Vagina' (www.myvag.net). Its a great book and well worth reading. A pity that Blackledge seems to have gone to ground since as she clearly has a lot of contribution to make towards our understanding of the female body. As for an account of the complementary organ, written by a man, well I can't say I'm looking forward to it.

Yes, but...
Be aware: there are two authors out there in this not-very-crowded field -and the other one is a MAN! OK so he's Dutch - but I find Jelto Drenth's The Origin of the World an infinitely more appealing take on this topic: would some of you ladies care to review it, please?