The Sexual History of London

Ultimately a strong work, though the historical errors in the first chapter made me suspicious of the factual accuracy for the rest of it. I strongly suspect that a great deal of the wild tales this book retells are better labeled as ‘apocryphal' and ‘alleged'. I was also a bit bothered– or maybe confused– by the continued habit of calling prostitutes ‘whores' when it wasn't strictly necessary– for example, in the actual prose written by the author and no one else. However, all of these things are a risk I knowingly took with this book, and all popular history books that attempt to make any sense out of sex and sexuality. Overall an entertaining read, and that's really all I wanted.

In particular, what saves this book from a lower rating are the chapters on the Restoration period, which are fascinating and full of life. That, and the unremitting effort on the part of the author to take a pro-woman stance, never doubting the prostitutes or their stories and always taking their side when applicable. We need more books like this, even if the writing is a little thin in other places.