New Game Shows. Winning Wednesdays on Prime.
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
-17% $16.51
FREE delivery Saturday, December 21 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$16.51 with 17 percent savings
List Price: $19.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Saturday, December 21 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Wednesday, December 18. Order within 13 hrs 7 mins.
Arrives before Christmas
In Stock
$$16.51 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.51
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$7.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Ships directly from Amazon. Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Ships directly from Amazon. See less
FREE delivery December 30 - January 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery December 30 - January 11
Arrives after Christmas. Need a gift sooner? Send an Amazon Gift Card instantly by email or text message.
$$16.51 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.51
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Masataka Watanabe
Follow
Olivia Judson
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex Paperback – Unabridged, May 1, 2003

by Olivia Judson (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 373 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$16.51","priceAmount":16.51,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"51","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"J%2Bc1WNumUYgMCfY7CzFlZYomOm4IfOiG24H%2BsZFIlWWCuUpqQrZ%2B5SZ2hfRN0gqtYH2gGslU5y2nQMrhbWHayiSqX%2FjFsRTrgydy2hlAqxhMZSiwnTShLcUQP6xRy933LiE8BWBwEjc%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.99","priceAmount":7.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"J%2Bc1WNumUYgMCfY7CzFlZYomOm4IfOiGJBWZSIbFhQ5MNFnckgaIbElxNPSMbqPDA2M9n3dj4ODEGGpToAtsLzZMNvvefYFEw%2F0gJjV301IZlNOub4n6pQqMI6xso8SU4Mm79%2FAM8x7BSZg94t5h9ipjmWj8pMObFAXmP2rjJpeRZVr4AFYuTqDqc9u8jYtd","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A sex guide for all living things and a hilarious natural history in the form of letters to and answers from the preeminent sexpert in all creation.

Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation is a unique guidebook to sex. It reveals, for example, when necrophilia is acceptable and who should commit bestiality with whom. It discloses the best time to have a sex change, how to have a virgin birth, and when to eat your lover. It also advises on more mundane matters -- such as male pregnancy and the joys of a detachable penis.

Entertaining, funny, and marvelously illuminating, the book comprises letters from all creatures worried about their bizarre sex lives to the wise Dr. Tatiana (a.k.a. Olivia Judson), the only sex columnist in creation with a prodigious knowledge of evolutionary biology. Fusing natural history with advice to the lovelorn, blending wit and rigor, she is able to reassure her anxious correspondents that although the acts they describe might sound appalling and unnatural, they are all perfectly normal -- so long as you are not a human. In the process, she explains the science behind it all, from Darwin's theory of sexual selection to why sexual reproduction exists at all. Applying human standards to the natural world, in the end she reveals the wonders of both.

"Delightful . . . Easy to understand and hard to resist, it's sex education at its prime -- accurate, comprehensive, and hilarious." -- Newsweek

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 1, 2003
  4. Dimensions
    5.55 x 0.8 x 8.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    9780805063325
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0805063325
  7. See all details
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex
This item: Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex
$16.51
Get it as soon as Saturday, Dec 21
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves
$16.95
Get it as soon as Saturday, Dec 21
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Captivating . . . An evolutionary biologist with interesting and amusing things to tell us.” ―The Wall Street Journal

“Funny and blissfully original . . . Dr. Tatiana's science is first-rate.” ―The Economist

“Erasmus Darwin titillated 18th century London with his poem 'The Loves of Plants.' He never new the half of it. Dr. Tatiana knows how the other half loves, and it's much kinkier than anybody imagined. Never has science seemed more like daytime television.” ―Matt Ridley, author of The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature

“Human? Lucky you! You rate a delightful romp through the weird, wild world of animal sex, with a guide who really knows the, um, ins and outs. Eavesdrop as Dr. T consoles her clients, from frustrated fruit flies to lovelorn golden pottos. You think you have problems? You could be a green spoon worm who's just inhaled her husband, or a peacock ashamed of his fifth-rate feathers. Count your blessings, primate. Then read, learn, enjoy.” ―Melvin J. Konner, author of The Tangled Wing: Biological Constraints on the Human Spirit

“Perhaps the most original advice manual ever written . . . Judson has pulled off the rarest coup: a science book that's actually fun to read.” ―The New Republic

“Whimsical, irreverent and illuminating . . . A most amusing and educative book on animal sex.” ―San Francisco Chronicle

“Judson's witty, well-researched vignettes are a guilty pleasure, natural history that goes down as sweet as a trashy tell-all.” ―Outside

“Wonderfully entertaining and authoritative . . . A stimulating feast of extraordinary sexual practices.” ―Nature

“More positions than the Kama Sutra-but don't try this at home!” ―Steve Jones, author of The Language of Genes: Solving the Mysteries of Our Genetic Past, Present and Future

“Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation is a thoroughly engaging and exhaustively researched account of the numerous different kinds of sexual behavior that biologists have observed in the natural world. By human standards, much of this behavior is quite kinky (my favorite is the description of blow hole sex among Amazon River dolphins). However, as Olivia Judson explains, it is quite natural within its own context.” ―Richard Morris, author of The Evolutionists: The Struggle for Darwin's Soul

About the Author

An alumna of Stanford with a doctorate from Oxford, Olivia Judson is an evolutionary biologist and award-winning journalist who has published in The Economist, Nature, Science, and The Times Higher Education Supplement. She is the author of the book Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation. She is presently a research fellow at Imperial College in London.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0805063323
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Holt Paperbacks; First Edition (May 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780805063325
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805063325
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.55 x 0.8 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 373 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Masataka Watanabe

    Masataka Watanabe

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Olivia Judson

    Olivia Judson

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
373 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book informative and entertaining. They describe it as an erudite and insightful read that provides interesting discussion for ecology classes. The humor keeps them engaged. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written and easy to read, like an advice column.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Information qualityEntertainment valueReadabilityWriting qualityAccessibility
51 customers mention "Information quality"51 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and engaging. They say it provides great insights into the workings of nature and explains why all the fuss. Many readers describe it as an excellent educational work for laymen, with interesting facts about different species.

"...world and the dynamic pace of evolution. Perfect for the teen interested in science (and sex) and for all curious adults...." Read more

"...Recommended for serious biologists, people who know nothing about biology, people who hate biology, people interested in sex, and those who like..." Read more

"...not only amuses with its unconventional advice but also educates readers on the intricacies of sexual reproduction, touching on topics such as Darwin..." Read more

"...It is humorous, yet gives you great facts about different species...." Read more

50 customers mention "Entertainment value"50 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and interesting. They appreciate the author's witty and knowledgeable approach. The book is described as a fun, easy read with helpful information.

"This was just fun to read. And it taught so much. This is a textbook that you gobble up- a rare find indeed...." Read more

"...With a witty and knowledgeable approach, Dr. Tatiana reassures her anxious correspondents that even the strangest sexual behaviors are perfectly..." Read more

"This books is hilarious AND educational. I actually changed what I was going to study to animal behavior because of this book...." Read more

"...Combining in-depth knowledge with entertaining and original writing is an art, and Olivia Judson is a master in both fields. Enjoy!" Read more

34 customers mention "Readability"34 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and funny. They say it's a good read with a partner. The content and style are great, and it's an epic piece of nonfiction.

"...adapt will die out. Though written in a jokey way, this is a serious book...." Read more

"...Well, in truth, one can handle only so much sex at one time- the book is excellent, but in small doses...." Read more

"...It is fascinating reading, and will definitely give you a deep appreciation of the human place in the living world...." Read more

"...Fantastic read." Read more

19 customers mention "Writing quality"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They describe it as a clever advice column with substantive content and a light style that keeps it accessible.

"...It's written like an advice column and the author is fantastic at keeping it as if the animals are talking, without over anthropomorphizing them...." Read more

"...Combining in-depth knowledge with entertaining and original writing is an art, and Olivia Judson is a master in both fields. Enjoy!" Read more

"This book is fairly easy to read and imparts a lot of trivial knowledge in a fun format.I was a little disappointed on two points...." Read more

"...The content is surprisingly substantive, and the light style keeps it terrifically accessible." Read more

3 customers mention "Accessibility"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book accessible. They appreciate the light style and fun biology content.

"...section seems to follow a familiar pattern as far as writing style: light, medium, and extremely dense...." Read more

"...The content is surprisingly substantive, and the light style keeps it terrifically accessible." Read more

"...an incredibly informative book about evolutionary biology that is fun, light, and easy to read...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Alan A. Elsner
5.0 out of 5 stars Very amusing and informative
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2008
Verified Purchase
Dr. Tatiana writes an advice column for members of all species and organisms that wish to write to her. She specializes in answering their questions about sex and dispensing sound advice.
For example, a yellow dung fly wants to know how to make its sperm more attractive; a fig wasp wonders why all the males she knows bite each other in half; an elephant is worried because its penis has turned green; a mother manatee frets because her son appears to prefer other males.
It turns out that homosexuality is common in the animal world, that femals are mostly promiscuous and that monogomy is exceedingly rare in nature, (she calls it one of the most deviant behaviors in biology) and that the battle of the sexes is real and can be brutal (and the females often win).
This book is a breezy read. Tatiana is a witty raconteur with an apparently inexhaustible font of knowledge about the weird and wonderful world of sex. The point of existence, she maintains, is to survive and reproduce. Genetic mutations and behavioral modifications that confer an advantage in pursuing these goals will flourish. Species that do not adapt will die out.
Though written in a jokey way, this is a serious book. It provides a wonderful picture of the sheer vast variation of the natural world and the dynamic pace of evolution.
Perfect for the teen interested in science (and sex) and for all curious adults.
For more about me and my book The Nazi Hunter: A Novel, (where the sex is tastefully done) go to [...]
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jedidiah Abdul Muhib Carosaari
5.0 out of 5 stars Provocative
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2007
Verified Purchase
This was just fun to read. And it taught so much. This is a textbook that you gobble up- a rare find indeed. Well, in truth, one can handle only so much sex at one time- the book is excellent, but in small doses. It has provocative imagery, and is jam-packed with both information and theory, requiring a lot of deep thought and contemplation. Judson has the capacity to turn your world upside-down, and make you rethink all of your notions of reproduction and sexuality. She brings in a host of scholarly knowledge and *the* latest research. She also provides a feminine touch, exposing some of the inherent masculine biases that have been in this field for the last few centuries, such as women are not promiscuous, and men are.

This is a truly creative work, formatted in a style to teach and bring enjoyment. Recommended for serious biologists, people who know nothing about biology, people who hate biology, people interested in sex, and those who like the gossip columns. If you're not in one of those categories, you probably won't like this book. Or any other.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Dr. Lee D. Carlson
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating collection of examples
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2005
Verified Purchase
The enjoyment of this book is, delightfully, inversely proportional to your ignorance of the subject matter. Those readers, like this reviewer, who are new to the subject matter will find example after example and surprise after surprise from the beginning to the end of this book. It is fascinating reading, and will definitely give you a deep appreciation of the human place in the living world. Human sexual practices are definitely somewhat boring if compared to those that occur in insects, fish, worms, and many other species of animals and plants. The examples in this book are ample evidence of this. Since the power of this book is in the surprises it offers the reader, a review of it should not act as a spoiler by giving away any of the examples in the book. Therefore this reviewer will resist the temptation to discuss any of them. Suffice it to say that the author has written a brilliant book, one that should be perused by everyone. Many references are given at the end of the book for those who want to investigate the science behind the examples in more detail. The author also discusses, albeit briefly, the various theories behind the evolution of sex. The contents of the book are certainly ones that can be discussed in any social context, and this reviewer has found that such discussions are met with intense curiosity and intrigue by all of the participants in them.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
MommaLayne
4.0 out of 5 stars Humorous Exploration of Sexuality
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
In Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation, Olivia Judson presents an entertaining and insightful guide to the remarkable world of animal sexuality. Through a series of imaginative letters from various creatures seeking advice on their unconventional sex lives, Dr. Tatiana provides unique insights that blend humor with evolutionary biology.

Judson tackles an array of topics, from the acceptable nuances of necrophilia and bestiality to the more bizarre inquiries about virgin births and male pregnancies. With a witty and knowledgeable approach, Dr. Tatiana reassures her anxious correspondents that even the strangest sexual behaviors are perfectly normal within the animal kingdom—at least outside the context of human morality.

This captivating book not only amuses with its unconventional advice but also educates readers on the intricacies of sexual reproduction, touching on topics such as Darwin's theory of sexual selection. Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation is a charming blend of science, humor, and natural history, revealing the wonders of sexuality while encouraging readers to appreciate the complexities of life beyond human standards.
Helpful
 Report
Ashley Storm
5.0 out of 5 stars Educational, fun, all without anthropomorphizing
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
This books is hilarious AND educational. I actually changed what I was going to study to animal behavior because of this book. It is humorous, yet gives you great facts about different species. It's written like an advice column and the author is fantastic at keeping it as if the animals are talking, without over anthropomorphizing them. It's a good book for people who are simply into animals to people who actually study them. It's not lewd (I first read it in high school) and she does a fantastic job of bringing up things my husband gets excited to learn about and then explaining the science behind them in a way he can understand, so it's not just for those of us who study this stuff. Fantastic read.
10 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Rhe343
5.0 out of 5 stars Just buy it!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
Fantastic book, interesting, witty, the first non-fictional book Ive ever actually enjoyed!
Report
sally catt
5.0 out of 5 stars So much fun-and informative
Reviewed in Australia on July 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
Great fun and informative--will put on my uni classes reading list for their unit on animal reproduction
Report
Seku
5.0 out of 5 stars Hours of fun
Reviewed in France on February 18, 2016
Verified Purchase
Comme souvent, le texte anglais (assez cru parfois) est plus délectable que sa traduction française un peu plate. Tout ce que vous avez toujours voulu savoir sur le sexe animal sans jamais avoir osé le demander et, accrochez-vous, ça décoiffe. Eviter de transposer mentalement aux humains sous peine de hauts-le coeur (argh, les hyènes tachetées !!!!). Réserver les meilleures pages pour des lectures entre amis, l'été, à l'heure de l'apéro.
Report
Marc Hertel
5.0 out of 5 stars Informativ und amüsant
Reviewed in Germany on May 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
Wie der Titel schon recht klar macht, ist dies kein trockener Text, sondern stattdessen eine witzige Präsentation realer Fakten. Dieses Buch lehnt sich an die Sex- und Beziehungskolumnen an und nutzt dieses Format, um den Leser auf eine weitreichende Tour durch die verschiedenen Fortpflanzungsverhalten in der Tierwelt zu nehmen. Mit lockerem Humor werden verschiedene, z.T. sehr bizarre Verhaltensformen vorgestellt und analysiert.
Natürlich ist dies kein biologisches Lehrbuch, also sollte man nicht die tiefgründigsten Analysen erwarten. Stattdessen wird mit leichter Hand ein Überblick verschafft, der einem die wichtigsten Fakten vermittelt und sicherlich die Freude an Biologie und der Natur allgemein stärkt.
Ein sehr schönes Buch, das man immer wieder gerne zur Hand nimmt und mal wieder in den diversen, relativ kurzen Einträgen schmökert.
Report
Button O
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, interesting and informative!
Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2010
Verified Purchase
It's a great read, especially for anyone with an interest in biology, evolution, animals or of course, sex. It's also written in a way that is accessible for those without a scientific background.
Report