Amazon.com: Dr. Ruth's Encyclopedia of Sex (9780826406255): Ruth K. Westheimer: Books

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1994

Edited and introduced by the one and only Dr. Ruth Westheimer, this work brings together in a single volume all the knowledge one needs to be sexually literate. It contains 250 entries arranged in alphabetical order, covering all aspects of sexuality. 100 illustrations.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } Edited and introduced by the one and only Dr. Ruth Westheimer, this work brings together in a single volume all the knowledge one needs to be sexually literate. It contains 250 entries arranged in alphabetical order, covering all aspects of sexuality. 100 illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Since 1980, Westheimer--more familiarly known as Dr. Ruth--has worked to eliminate sexual illiteracy. Here her campaign to expand sexual knowledge beyond the birds and the bees continues. Her most recent educational tool is an A-Z compendium of sexual subjects, edited and introduced by the good doctor. The book contains more than 250 separate entries, including 100 illustrations, and is written with the high school or college student in mind, though others can also benefit. As such, the encyclopedia seeks to include not only standard information, but also the more offbeat. Entries address all aspects of sexuality--from mechanics and biology to cultural, legal and religious concerns. The range of material covered in this volume is impressive, ranging from sex in the Bible to call girls. The book's information is often deadpan-funny; the entry for zoophilia, for example, ends with a cautionary note that such "practices are not recommended and are often illegal," while under the heading of affairs one learns that "if it lasts only a few weeks or a month it might be called a 'brief affair,' but a weekend dalliance should be called a 'fling," not an affair, and a 'one-night stand' is just that." The final pages offer a glossary of sexual slang guaranteed to teach even the most worldly reader a term or two.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Dr. Ruth's latest contribution is a single-volume encyclopedia of human sexuality, comprising over 250 entries and a glossary of slang. Along with the usual burning issues of gonorrhea and the like, many psychological and emotional issues pertaining to sexual relations are addressed. Important topics such as abortion, sexual dysfunction, and safer sex have merited articles several pages in length; most entries (e.g., "sexual stereotypes," "empty nest syndrome," and "faking orgasm") are two to three paragraphs. The article on AIDS is very comprehensive, and many of the more controversial issues are covered in-depth with integrity and objectivity (e.g., "gay and lesbian parenting"). The unsigned articles, contributed by a team of 70 professionals, are carefully written for a high school-educated audience. Larger libraries should consider purchasing two copies: one for reference, and another to circulate.
A. Arro Smith, San Marcos P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Ruth K. Westheimer Page

Born in Germany in 1928, I was sent to a children's home in Switzerland at the age of ten which became an orphanage for most of the German Jewish students who had been sent there to escape the Holocaust. At 17 I went to Israel where I fought for the country's independence as a member of the Haganah, the Jewish freedom fighters. I then moved to Paris where I studied at the Sorbonne and taught kindergarten. I immigrated to the U.S. in 1956 and obtained my Masters Degree in Sociology from the Graduate Faculty of the New School of Social Research. In 1970, I received a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in the Interdisciplinary Study of the Family from Columbia University Teacher's College.
My work at Planned Parenthood is what prompted me to further my education in human sexuality by studying at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center.
My TV show Sexually Speaking first aired in 1980 as a 15-minute taped show, which then increased in popularity and became a nationally syndicated radio show.
In recent years, I have made regular appearances on the PBS Television children's show Between the Lions as "Dr. Ruth Wordheimer" in a parody of my therapist role, in which I help anxious readers and spellers overcome their fear of long words.
Currently I am an Adjunct Professor at N.Y.U. and an Associate Fellow of Calhoun College at Yale University, where I teach a course on the American family. I am also a Fellow of Butler College at Princeton University, where I will teach a course on the Jewish family. In addition to having my own private practice I am a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and frequently lecture at universities across the country.