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London: Macdonald and Jane’s, 14 June 1979: ISBN 0-354-04375-7
New York: St Martin’s Press, April 1980: ISBN 0-312-59811-4
PATTERNS OF SEX
Brian J. Ford believes, contrary to widely held views that sexual explicitness should be encouraged at all levels, that in biological and evolutionary terms we could be endangering human development. He argues that Western man's obsession with the teaching of intercourse to the young, our emphasis on the orgasm, and the attempts to abolish 'sexism' could lead us into a largely de-sexed and imperfectly developed society in the future.
In this long-awaited book he shows the political reasons behind sexual liberation and convincingly demonstrates the evolutionary pressures that have given us our sex instincts. There are explanations, too, for the many forms of sexual deviation, as well as a physiological theory to account for the upheavals of adolescence, an answer to the riddle of the menopause, and hope for a new age of human understanding and warmth which could at last give us real sexual openness and freedom.
Sex-change, virgin birth, courtship, sexual techniques and the need for pair-bonding are all analyzed in this comprehensive examination of one of our greatest talking-points. Brian Ford's book is lively and often startling, and will make essential reading for all who wish Co come to terms with the future of human sexuality. His ideas and unexpected findings make this a controversial volume which will stimulate a positive and invigorating re-thinking of our sexual standards.
BRIAN J. FORD'S books on the history of science and the development of biology have been published in many countries. As a guest speaker and broadcaster he has an enthusiastic following world-wide, and he is a member of many specialist groups including the Royal Society of Health and the Royal Microscopical Society. He lives in Wales but travels extensively, often with his wife and six children.
St. Martin's Press, Inc. 175 Fifth Avenue New York, N.Y. 10010
Printed in USA
Jacket designed by Logos Design, Datchet Jacket photograph by Duncan McNicol
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