With the Hand
A Cultural History of Masturbation
Distributed for Reaktion Books
Translated by Paul Vincent
255 pages
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60 halftones
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5 1/2 x 8 1/2
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© 2012
- Contents
- Review Quotes
Table of Contents

Contents
1. Introduction
2. Ages, Locations and Frequencies
3. Education
4. Sex Aids
5. Animals
6. Doctors and Other Scientists
7. Culture, Religions and Philosophers
8. Writers and Poets
9. Entertainment
10. Artists
11. In Conclusion
Biographical Sources
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
2. Ages, Locations and Frequencies
3. Education
4. Sex Aids
5. Animals
6. Doctors and Other Scientists
7. Culture, Religions and Philosophers
8. Writers and Poets
9. Entertainment
10. Artists
11. In Conclusion
Biographical Sources
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Review Quotes
Sunday Times (UK)
“It makes for compelling reading, partly because van Driel has a fine sense of humour, but also because he knows his subject, in particular the causes of the taboo surrounding masturbation.”
New Scientist
“An enthusiastic, amusing and eye-opening exploration of a topic which remains disappointingly taboo.”
Chronicle of Higher Education
“When [van Driel’s] stethoscope is about his neck, the M.D. employs all the unvarnished plainspokenness of any health care professional. But when he entertains historical, literary, and other arts-and-humanities perspectives, he is as curious and open to surprise as any cultural critic.”
New York Journal of Books
“With the Hand does a great job of looking at an entire range of ways that masturbation is and has been perceived over the years. Van Driel presents these disparate views and conceits in a fairly objective manner. And that is what makes this a very good piece of writing. . . . Overall With the Hand is sometimes a bit steamy, and some of the opinions represented here will be inflammatory, but the topic is masturbation, after all.”
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