William J. Robinson (1) (1867–1936)

This was an amazing read. I bought it for the humor factor. I was sure a sex book from the 20s would be amusing. However, I found it to be both enlightening and exasperating. The author (who was later connected with the early American porn industry!) advocates sex information for women - far beyond what was normal for the time. He spends a large part of the book explaining the female anatomy and the various changes brought by puberty and pregnancy.

It is mostly in the discussion of venereal diseases and male/female relationships that my blood pressure starts rising. Robinson spends a great deal of time discussing who - in his opinion - should and should not be "allowed" to marry. He repeatedly states that poor people are less "civilized" and less sensitive to finer things. To his credit, he explodes many myths, like that of "maternal impressions" (that children's birth defects are caused by trauma to the mother). But then he advocates forgiving male straying because such behavior is expected by males.

He also has a full complement of 1920's bigotry. "...who became as unreasonable as a child and as jealous as any unlettered Sicilian woman ever was."… (mehr)