A curious history of sex

This book looks at the curious history of sex, drawing from the best of the Whores of Yore archive with tons of exclusive, new material. Dr Kate Lister explores all the strange and baffling things human beings have done in the pursuit (and denial) of the almighty orgasm. Why do we feel so damn guilty about it? Has selling sexual services always been illegal? Were the Victorians really as prudish as we think (short answer: Hell no)? This book will feature the popular Historical Hotties and Whores of Yore’s Word of the Day, fascinating stories from the secret side of historical sex alongside modern day voices of sex workers, the marginalised and the outcast.

Sex is one of the great universal levellers; we eat, we sleep, we shit, we fuck and we die. All living beings on this planet share the desire to reproduce, but what makes humans unique is that we are the only creatures who experience guilt around our own sexual nature. Whilst all beings have courtship rituals, who ever heard of two wildebeest attending couple’s therapy because he’s been eyeing up the young bulls at the waterhole and she is struggling to express a latex fetish. Of course, humans do far more than eating, shitting, and fucking – our intellect is what really sets us apart from the beasts. And herein lies the problem. To say that humans have overthought sex is something of an understatement.

Kate Lister started the Whores of Yore project in 2015. The project aims to give voice to the voiceless, to start a much-needed conversation on the history of sexuality, the plight of modern sex workers, and, ultimately, to extract the prudish stick from the arse of society. The archive provides a platform for academics, activists, sex workers, and archivists to share their experience, research and stories around sexuality and sex work. Because nobody, no matter their profession, should ever be outcast again.