W2: Nouveau Dictionnaire De Sexologie V.5

L’Introduction (subst. fém): It did not occur to me that the Biblio-Mat dispenses books in other languages but I guess that wouldn’t be truly random if it didn’t. A French encyclopedia on sex is as interesting as one would imagine. 

Classy cover. Unless that's a nipple.

 Le Livre (subst. fém): A 1979 208pg softcover with an art deco minimalist cover that lends it an artistic quality. For a used book that could be classified as erotica, it was thankfully stain-free and clean; though I was too afraid to pass it under a black light (ignorance is truly bliss at times). The first thing I noticed was the inclusion of 16 glossy pages containing colour plates of erotic art. My thirteen year old self would have had a self-discovery field day. My current self was more fascinated by the printing method. 

Ceci n'est pas un visage.

 Le Texte (subst. masc.): Unfortunately, my French reading comprehension is about 70% so reading this novella-sized book took a few days longer than expected. On the plus side, it turned into a game of filling in the blanks and those that know me know that my mind doesn’t frequent the gutter - it lives in it, surfacing once every three days for food and fresh sheets. It also helped that I had volume five (J-M), which contained 25 solid pages on Japan.

They were kinky even before the internet.

Written in short and easily digestible passages, it reads fast, even for a non-native French reader. As I made my way through the entries, I was impressed by the inclusion of many things. Jack the Ripper, Carl Jung, Kinsey, D. H. Lawrence, and Madagascar all had expansive entries. Clearly I was wrong in thinking this was just cleverly disguised smut. This book does indeed have some educational value!

However, when I hit the entries pertaining to sexual techniques, body parts, and spiritual beliefs, it is quickly apparent how very outdated this book is. The section on lesbianism may be a bit misogynistic in the same way that the Mariana Trench may be a bit deep. One must definitely take the “historical facts” with a grain of salt. I would also highly recommend not following any medical advice on hygiene or contraception from this book.

La Conclusion (subst. fém): 7.5/10 (bumped to 8 if I ever find the rest of the series)

La Citation (subst. fém): Les satisfactions sexuelles que deux femmes peuvent tirer de leurs rapports présentent une gamme à peine inférieure aux satisfactions hétérosexuelles, sans qu'il soit possible de se prononcer sur leur intensité.