Secrets of sizzlin' sex Book

Somewhat dated (it was written in 1994) which makes the later sections weak (a lot has happened in feminism, the trans movement, AIDS, rape and abortion battles since then). There is also, throughout, a focus on homosexuality that is unbalanced. I agree that the history of homosexuality in the 19th and 20th centuries tells us huge amounts about cultural, religious, legal and social understandings of sex, but it is not the only story, and sometimes it felt like Bullough was short changing other concerns to give more time to this one lens.

Aside from those two concerns, this is an excellent, clear, well written overview of the development of sexology--the scientific (in all its meanings) study of sexuality. Bullough covers major figures, changes in legal and social views, important discoveries and movements, as well as cataloging the forces that regularly attempted to suppress either acceptance or even study into sex.