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Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex [Paperback]

Olivia Judson (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; First Edition edition (May 1 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805063323
ISBN-13: 978-0805063325
Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.7 x 2 cm
Shipping Weight: 318 g

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #52,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #54 in Books > Outdoors & Nature > Nature Writing
- #55 in Books > Science > Nature & Ecology > Essays
- #96 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology

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Product Description

From Amazon

Finally, a how-to guide, in the guise of a Q&A advice column, for marching, flying, or slithering into the battle of the sexes, whatever your species. In this entertaining and informative book, evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson presents "letters" from sexually frustrated animals, birds, and insects who ask "Dr. Tatiana" to explain some sexual oddity. For example, "Don't Wanna Be Butch in Botswana" writes, "I'm a spotted hyena, a girl. The only trouble is, I've got a large phallus. I can't help feeling that this is unladylike. What's wrong with me?" Each question leads Dr. T. into a fascinating explanation about the sex life of this species, sprinkled with sprightly stories about other species with similar attributes or behavior.

You'll learn why one stick-insect copulation lasts for 10 weeks (to prevent other males from gaining access to the fertile female) and why the black-winged damselfly's penis has bristles (to scrape out his rival's sperm). You'll learn that male and female orangutans masturbate with sex toys fashioned from leaves and twigs, that slugs are hermaphrodites with penises on their heads, and that females in more than 80 species eat their lovers before, during, or after sex. You'll also ponder human sexuality when you learn that "monogamy is one of the most deviant behaviors in biology" (although jackdaws, chinstrap penguins, California mice, and some termites swear by it) and "natural selection, it seems, often smiles on strumpets."

Highly recommended--you'll read this through just for the fun of it and have plenty of odd facts with which to dazzle your dinner companions. --Joan Price --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Those looking for prurient prose may be better off browsing their local adult bookstore, but readers intrigued by the bizarre facts surrounding animal whoopee (and really, who isn't?) should pay a visit to Dr. Tatiana, the alter ego of evolutionary biologist and journalist Judson. While her wryly salacious tone makes animal mating habits and evolutionary biology pretty racy, the book still reads more like a textbook than the Kama Sutra. Judson uses a tongue-in-cheek advice column format through much of the book, forging letters from dung flies, iguanas, sagebrush crickets and rodents ("Like, what's the deal? I'm a sleek young California mouse and am so in heat.") to explore reproductive biology. The device can be grating, and purists appalled by anthropomorphism may find themselves cringing as Judson chastises a male splendid fairy wren for philandering, while pronouncing his paddle crab counterpart a "gentleman." Still, Judson gets high marks for her copiously researched data. Perhaps most compelling is her chapter entitled "Aphrodisiacs, Love Potions, and Other Recipes From Cupid's Kitchen," in which the roots of animal homosexuality are examined. The reader will undoubtedly come away with reams of fascinating factoids, such as the nauseating dining habits of tropical cockroaches during copulation, and the pregnancies of the male seahorse and his cousin, the pipefish.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Boys are promiscuous and girls are chaste, right? Read the first page

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Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, interesting and informative!, Nov 2 2010

moxe - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex (Paperback)

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.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Be prepared for bugs, lots of bugs, May 19 2004

C. Pierce "SciFi Junkie" (Ferndale, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex (Paperback)

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. First, that almost all of the subjects in the book are bugs. I'm sure mammals and reptiles have interesting sex lives, habits, and behaviors so let's hear about them. It's hard to tell if the research was focused on bugs, or if bugs are that much more interesting than the rest of us animals.

Secondly, each section seems to follow a familiar pattern as far as writing style: light, medium, and extremely dense. Once the author makes her point (answering the question) the writing gets rather dense and it's difficult to finish the topic completely.

Otherwise the book delivers as it promises.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Loads of info bundled into fun reading, Dec 8 2003

fan of quality products "turmfalke22" (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex (Hardcover)

Since there have been so many extremely well written and elaborate reviews posted already, I'll keep mine short and sweet: this book is a riot. If you've every wondered just "how do they do it, and why do they do it they way they do it?", and I don't mean your neighbors, then this is a must read. Sure, there are oodles of subject-specific text books on the market, some of which require a masters degree in English to understand, but every so often there comes along a true gem such as this little book. Combining in-depth knowledge with entertaining and original writing is an art, and Olivia Judson is a master in both fields. Enjoy!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars never mind the cloth, feel the width
A fine read on evolutionary biology.
That Judson has used the macro mechanics of sex to both illustrate some of the more current hows of the theory of natural selection and... Read more

Published on Oct 18 2003 by A Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Informative Reading on an Important Topic
Having trouble getting your teenagers to read? They might willingly read this. They will learn a lot about a subject that is near and dear to their hearts; and perhaps they will... Read more

Published on July 17 2003 by Kent Lion