Talking Cock (Paperback)

by Richard Herring (Author) "So what is this thing?..." (more)
Key Phrases: penis museum, talking cock, favourite answer, Prince Albert, Steve Jones, Stephen Jay Gould (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Uses informative, funny, and moving comments to illustrate personal issues that would make the average ethics committee faint."

Product Description
The self-proclaimed foremost authority on the penis, Richard Herring decided to stand up for the humble willy, worshipped in ancient times, now consigned to a standing joke. Talking Cock combines answers to questions about sexuality, circumcision, and strange behavior with a deeply researched history, poignant true-life confessions, and insights from the hilarious to the downright obscene.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (May 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560256087
• ISBN-13: 978-1560256083
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #389,801 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology > Men

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I have never felt better about owning a penis before!, July 5, 2004

By	Brian Watson "brian from studiomomo.com" (New Westminster, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I suspect that it was mere whim that drew my eye to the spine of this book in a local bookseller's shop, but once I had seen it, I had to buy it. I'm certain I startled more than I few people as I began to read it in the Ikea cafeteria, laughing out loud often and uproariously as I did.
Mr Herring has done the world a great service in this book. As he has noted, it is far too easy for others to merely note the differences between men and women, but Mr Herring not only notes our differences, he goes on to convince the reader that all people, men and women, gay and straight, should start caring less about the size and other particulars of a favorite organ, and more about what we share in common. Men and women need not stand on separate sides of a wall erected by penises. We can exult in one another and in so doing, make the world a better place for us all!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Investigation Incomplete, August 24, 2008

By	Gary Miller "Gary Miller" (Roseville, Ca.) - See all my reviews

Overall, I felt the book was informative and funny. It was a fun read for sure. He surveyed folks on his web site to ask them a wide variety of questions regarding the cock. He was able to provide the answers to his readers based on how straight men, gay men and women responded. He also reported on comments people made regarding each question on the survey. Some were priceless.

I was pleased with the way he handled the gay issue, realizing gay men do not "look" at their cocks in the same way heterosexual men do.

He delved into many subjects such as the issue of monogamy, circumcision, the history of the penis and the attitudes of the cock over the ages, masturbation (including the wild items and places guys will do it), impotency, STDs, size, group sex, and the interesting question of what makes a man a man.

One interesting survey result (granted this was unscientific...only people who knew of his web site and voluntarily gave info) indicated just fewer than 70% of men who took the survey were identified as heterosexual. The rest 30% were bi or gay. Much higher percentage that the 10% which is considered by some.

One major flaw however. If you were going to write a book about trees, you would do what he did with cocks. Go to the library and read everything you can about trees. You would do what he did and look at various pictures of trees.

One thing you would do in addition to what he did. You would go outside and look at various trees. See for yourself their size, their texture, their smell, their height, kind of leaves. See for yourself what you had been learning about trees.

There is no indication the author looked at real cocks other than his own. If I were writing this book, I would want to look at cocks. See for myself. Big ones and small ones and cut and uncut. I would want to see how they grow. Does each one grow differently? Some have a bend to them? Do some uncut cocks have enough foreskin to cover the head even when hard or no. The author did none of this. A huge blunder on his part and a disservice to his readers making the book incomplete.

Toward the end of the book, he wants us to glorify the cock, yet does not even provide a picture of his.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars bought in error but very good, May 6, 2008

By	hugh troy (Cambridge,UK) - See all my reviews

I happen to work with a talking cock and all to often have great trouble understanding what the hell Phil is talking about. When I saw this book I thought to myself "great an aide memoir in Philism's and Phil'o'babble" so snapped it up without reading a page first. However buy in haste and repent at leisure I did not. It's actually quite good, a balanced look at the myths, social standings, science and humour surrounding the penis, an honest look at a sensitive subject. Although a book to help understand Phil would be great, I am happy to read this whilst waiting for the nice folks at Linguaphone to publish a set of books and tapes in Philistani.