Seduction: Through the Ages

In the beginning was ecstasy, and recognition of the transcendent, sublime nature of sex. Then rules and prohibitions turned eroticism into a vice, interfering with a once-sacred pleasure. But, people still craved it, developing love charms, aphrodisiacs, and other delicious substances to heighten desire. Take a sensuous, image-filled voyage through the history of attraction and seduction, from prehistoric pornography to cosmetics of the ancient world to the refinement of the art of beauty. Dress and undress; entertaining in the boudoir; foot fetishism; sweet and spicy perfumes; the allure of big hair and lovely locks; sexy diets; the Eastern lover and the bungling bridegroom; the holy harlot and the vampire: it's all the swooning, steamy, scented torture of love, beautifully captured in pictures and text.