Customer Reviews

The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Quick. Name the famous baseball player who once rented an entire brothel for one evening. Or, how about the French novelist who, on his wedding night, coupled with his new bride nine times? And then there's the billionaire who had his employees recruit scores of young women to satisfy his "appetite."

Interesting stuff, to say the least.

Published over two decades ago, THE INTIMATE SEX LIVES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE still provides chuckles, giggles, and even a raised eyebrow or two as the reader becomes privy to the bedroom antics of dozens and dozens of "celebrities" (most of them historical figures). Written by the Wallace family (novelist Irving, wife Sylvia, daughter Amy and son David) this is a well-researched and sometimes overwhelming volume that presents the material as matter-of-fact and only gets risque when the subjects--through actual letters or conversations--are allowed to "speak for themselves."

The "famous people" are a veritable "Who's Who" from all walks of life and epochs of history. Henry VIII. Leo Tolstoi. Gary Cooper. Warren G. Harding. Joan Crawford. Douglas MacArthur. Elvis Presley. Page after page, person after person, the intimate tidbits of those we revere--or despise--are revealed.

THE INTIMATE SEX LIVES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE reminds me of a bag of Lay's Potato Chips. No one can read just one account; he or she will be busily turning the pages, looking for more scandal on the part of more people. I only wish this book was more contemporary. Think what a juicy chapter Bill Clinton's sex life would have been!
--D. Mikels

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. From the title, one might think it is some sort of sleazy tabloid in book form. But far from it! It's a real treasure trove of interesting information that is not readily available anywhere else.

There's nothing sensationalistic about it; rather, the book helps make a large number of well-known names from movies to arts to politics, as well as historical figures from the less-recent past, seem more human and like the rest of us.

Each subject is given approximately two to five pages of coverage. Of course I don't have the knowledge to speak about the book's accuracy, but it gives every appearance of being very well researched. Yet despite its almost scholarly approach, it's quite readable and interesting. Highly recommended!

(I have the hard cover version.)

I found the book a fascinating look into the extremely private parts of famous people's lives. The book is chocked full of mini biographies of famous people. Writers, artists and movie stars. All of them have a private life that most have tried to hide from the public.

This book must have taken forever to research the facts. The book was written by almost all the same people that wrote the Peoples Almanac and The Book of Lists.

I actually wore out three copies of this book. It's one of those books that you pick up again and again.

For anyone looking into the "true history", this book is a must have. Through the years, I have gone through three paper backs and now have a hard back copy of this book. A real "keeper".

IDEAL COFFEE TABLE, BATHROOM BOOK, SHORT CONCISE ANTEDOTES OF MANY OF THE WORLD CELEBRITES AND POLITICAL LEADERS...YOU'LL WISH THERE WAS ANOTHER VOLUME ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE.. LENT IT OUT ONE TO MANY TIMES..NOW I'M LOOKING FOR A NEW COPY MYSELF..TALKS ABOUT HILTER, ERROLL FLYNN EVEN FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM ANCIENT TIME..CLARE BOW, WHO THE USC FOOTBALL TEAM WAS BANNED FROM SEEING...GO GIRL... GREAT LITTLE BOOK HOPE YOU GET A COPY AND SHARE ITWITH A FRIEND ...JNC

I remember purchasing this work via some sort of book club when it was first published. Looking back almost thirty years ago I have trouble remembering the reason why. I suppose that even though the only love lives I have ever been more than mildly interested in are mine and that of my wife. I suppose though, if I am to be truly honest with myself, I suppose I possess a bit of the voyeur in me as most of us do. I love niggle little bits of information and store them away like a squirrel with acorns...saving them for some rainy day I guess. Now that being said...

This work by the Wallace family is an absolute hoot! This 618 page book (I have the hard cover here in front of me) covers the sex lives, or in some cases, the lack of sex lives, of around 200 individuals. For the most part these are historical figures, celebrities, actors, artists....well, as the title says "of Famous People." Now keep in mind that for the most part all of these people are dead, but the reader will come upon very familiar names. From Hitler to Gandhi to an unending list of movie stars and sports heroes through artists, writers, poets, scientists, and beyond...they are all here.

The author has given us a short biography of each of these individual (like as in why are they famous), what they were like in person, their love lives and finally their quirks, if any. Now don't get the impression that this is some sort of collection of off colored stories that you see in the grocery line. No, this is a pretty well researched piece of work and the authors back it up with documentation. When speculation is made, the author's are the first to point it out. This book is not an erotic peek into the lives of their subjects and the only times the authors delve into this area is when they quote statements or letters from their subjects. All in all, for the subject matter, this is a very dignified book. But dignified dose not make it stuffy, no, no, no...far from that. Like I said, this work is an absolute hoot to read.

Was Edna St. Vincent Millay heterosexual, bisexual or lesbian? Do you know? Did Ms. Millay know? How many hours during his life time did Errol Flynn spend making love? (He tells us and apparently kept some sort of log. I can identify with that as I have been keeping log books on my mileage running and biking for years and lists of birds I have seen; I am a habitual record keeper and always have been...I never thought about sex though...hmmm, nothing wrong with a short list I suppose). Was Nikolai Lenin a bigger swinger than Chairman Mai? How about Gen. Douglas MacArthur? Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Stokowski...did these guys only practice and write their music, or did they have "distractions?"

I collect absolutely useless facts like a wool coat collects lint. The useless stuff simply sticks in my head and never leaves. The next time you and I are setting at the local café having coffee and you ask me "Hey don, how did William Gladstone controlled his sexual appetite?" Well I will be able to tell you.

For a fun and informative read, this is a nice one to have lying around and it has aged quite well. It is certainly tame reading by today's standards, but I cannot say that is a bad thing. At least the authors of this work were literate, which is not something I can truthfully say about some of our contemporaries.

I am giving this one five stars simply because I enjoy reading bits and pieces from it. As for it being a "must read" book, well.......

Don Blankenship
The ozarks

This is a very intriguing book for those who are interested in history beyond a candy coated look back in time through rose-colored glasses. It contains hundreds of biographies whose details don't stop at the bedroom door. The authors carefully documented significant historical personalities, discerning between rumors and facts and siting their sources.

Normally I'd just pass something like this by, but I saw it was done by the same folks who had done the People's Almanac series (Irving Wallace and David Wallachinsky). I grew up reading those massive compendiums of assorted information (including my earliest sex education in a book) and figured that if anyone could cover this topic tastefully, it would be the Wallaces/etc.

This is over 500 pages of information on the sex practices of everyone from royalty to actors and actresses, poets and playwrights, the rich and famous and the famous-after-they-died-as-paupers. Ever wondered what Casanova was really like? Or if Babe Ruth was as much a slugger in the sheets as on the baseball field? How about Cleopatra herself? Well-researched, and well-written without being lurid, this is a frank but mature appraisal of the relationships and flings of the famous. While there are a lot of unfaithful folks, as well as some early free love advocates, there are also those who managed successful monogamy. Only the most prudish people could take offense at this excellent approach to S-E-X and the famous.

I had this book a long time ago and was never able to replace it when it died (or I lost it) I always wanted another copy but could never get one Yay Kindle has it I can get it Yay

This book is a great anthology of not only the intimate lives of interesting characters, but also a concise survey of the influence of sex on world history. Wonderfully written, and wildly entertaining!

Had purchased this book years ago, and read it so many times, it fell apart!! This new book is great and I enjoyed it very much!!