|
 |
 |
|
|
|||
   |       |
||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|
by Olivia Judson
17 used & new from $7.95 Edition: Hardcover
See more product details
Better Together Customers who bought this book also bought:
Explore Similar Items:
19 in Books,
20 in DVD, and 19 in Music
Customers interested in this title may also be interested in: Sponsored Links (What's this?) Feedback
Product Details
Look Inside This Book
Our Customers' Advice See what customers recommend in addition to, or instead of, the product on this page. Recommend an item!
See more customer buying advice
Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Finally, a how-to guide, in the guise of a Q&A advice column, for marching, flying, or slithering into the battle of the sexes, whatever your species. In this entertaining and informative book, evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson presents "letters" from sexually frustrated animals, birds, and insects who ask "Dr. Tatiana" to explain some sexual oddity. For example, "Don't Wanna Be Butch in Botswana" writes, "I'm a spotted hyena, a girl. The only trouble is, I've got a large phallus. I can't help feeling that this is unladylike. What's wrong with me?" Each question leads Dr. T. into a fascinating explanation about the sex life of this species, sprinkled with sprightly stories about other species with similar attributes or behavior. You'll learn why one stick-insect copulation lasts for 10 weeks (to prevent other males from gaining access to the fertile female) and why the black-winged damselfly's penis has bristles (to scrape out his rival's sperm). You'll learn that male and female orangutans masturbate with sex toys fashioned from leaves and twigs, that slugs are hermaphrodites with penises on their heads, and that females in more than 80 species eat their lovers before, during, or after sex. You'll also ponder human sexuality when you learn that "monogamy is one of the most deviant behaviors in biology" (although jackdaws, chinstrap penguins, California mice, and some termites swear by it) and "natural selection, it seems, often smiles on strumpets." Highly recommended--you'll read this through just for the fun of it and have plenty of odd facts with which to dazzle your dinner companions. --Joan Price From Publishers Weekly Those looking for prurient prose may be better off browsing their local adult bookstore, but readers intrigued by the bizarre facts surrounding animal whoopee (and really, who isn't?) should pay a visit to Dr. Tatiana, the alter ego of evolutionary biologist and journalist Judson. While her wryly salacious tone makes animal mating habits and evolutionary biology pretty racy, the book still reads more like a textbook than the Kama Sutra. Judson uses a tongue-in-cheek advice column format through...  read more Book Description A sex guide for all living things and a hilarious natural history in the form of letters to and answers from the preeminent sexpert in all creation. Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation is a unique guidebook to sex. It reveals, for example, when necrophilia is acceptable and who should commit bestiality with whom. It discloses the best time to have a sex change, how to have a virgin birth, and when to eat your lover. It also advises on more mundane matters -- such as male pregnancy and the joys of a detachable penis. Entertaining, funny, and marvelously illuminating, the book comprises letters from all creatures worried about their bizarre sex lives to the wise Dr. Tatiana, the only sex columnist in creation with a prodigious knowledge of evolutionary biology. Fusing natural history with advice to the lovelorn, blending wit and rigor, she is able to reassure her anxious correspondents that although the acts they describe might sound appalling and unnatural, they are all perfectly normal -- so long as you are not a human. In the process, she explains the science behind it all, from Darwin's theory of sexual selection to why sexual reproduction exists at all. Applying human standards to the natural world, in the end she reveals the wonders of both.
Spotlight Reviews (What's this?) Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
Although this book makes for a terrific vacation or conference-trip read whilst in transit, it also has much of seriousness to offer the student of comparative psychology, sociology, anthropology, zoology or medicine. For those wishing to cut to the chase with the primary literature concerning particular issues, over 20 pages of extensively referenced notes are provided. Although by no means dealing extensively with theoretical issues in the aetiology of particular sex behaviours, we do meet (albeit briefly) with Darwin, Fisher, Hamilton, Bateman, Muller and Wallace. The notes cover every "Dear Dr. Tatiana..." Q & A presented in the book, and could well form the basis of core tutorial reading and/or stimulation for small group discussions. A welcome volume
for the shelf at home as much as for the academic library, unless you?re
comfortable with the public at large thinking that you?re undergoing sex
therapy counseling, be sure to carry it in a brown paper bag when moving
between the two!
47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
The author chose an advice column format with letters supposedly from crickets, stick bugs, stickleback fish and dozens of other creatures asking advice about their sexual situation. Needless to say most of it is fascinating and highly unnatural - for a human that is, but perfectly normal for them. Some of the situations she describes are so bizarre as to be beyond what one would expect from even the best science-fiction writers. Olivia Judson is
to be applauded for writing an educational book that is so thoroughly entertaining
that it does not seem like you are actually being taught in the process.
But you will learn and you will walk away with a completely different view
of nature and reproduction. I was so thoroughly fascinated with the book
that all I can say at this point is "Encore, encore". All Customer Reviews Average Customer Review:  Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Reading other people's reviews of this book, I'm reminded of how deeply ingrained the association of sex and morality is in at least the American mind. I think Ms. Judson's intents were to inform and to entertain on a subject that is of central importance to humans as part of all creation (many of us seem to forget we are part of nature), and about which people don't seem to know very much (relative to how important it is). She may also have wanted us to get a feel for how little we really know. She succeeded in all 3 points, in my opinion. I do not believe her intent was to even hint that what's normal for other critters is right for humans (refer to my first paragraph; the "reasons" must apply). I also don't believe she intended for her work to be used in making moral judgements. (Is anyone qualified to judge nature's morality?) The mixture of American English and English English is...um...curious.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Write again soon, Dr. Tatiana!
--This text refers to the Paperback edition
Customers who bought titles by Olivia Judson also bought titles by these authors: So You'd Like To...
Listmania!
Look for similar books by subject: Browse for books in:
Search for books by subject: Sex Sex differences Sexual behavior in animals Sexual behavior Sex differences (Psychology) Science Life Sciences - Zoology - General Essays Nature Family & Relationships i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ... Feedback
|
|
Suggestion Box
Your comments can help make our site better for everyone. If you've found something incorrect, broken, or frustrating on this page, let us know so that we can improve it. Please note that we are unable to respond directly to suggestions made via this form. If you need help with an order, please contact Customer Service. Please mark as many of the following boxes that apply:
Comments or Examples: Examples: Missing information such as dimensions and model number, typos, inaccuracies, etc. |
|
Amazon.com Home | Directory of All Stores
Our International Sites: Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | Japan | France
Contact Us |
Help |
Shopping Cart |
Your Account |
Sell Items |
1-Click Settings
|
Bottom of the PageTM Deals for December 14 Amazon.com = low prices. Save up to 50% on these one-day-only deals. Amazon.com now offers bargains on brand-name essentials, all priced so low they've sunk to the bottom of the page! We take up to 50% off standard retail prices and deliver right to your door--no club fees, no hassle, no parking lot. These offers are only good until they're gone, and only for today. Check back tomorrow for all-new Bottom of the PageTM Deals. |
Great Sex Education and Therapy - In One Single Dose !, October 7, 2002
