Rating: 
Summary: Dr. Ruth meets Steven Jay Gould meets Gary Larson
Review: What an amazing world! This book is filled with some of the strangest behavior I have ever read about. The book would still be an excellent read if it limited itself to fascinating examples of very odd animal & insect reproduction rituals. However, Judson uses these examples to examine the forces of evolutionary biology, and the result is a lucid tour across the scientific terrain. I particularly enjoyed the many examples of bizarre and seemingly paradoxical animal behavior, that only make sense in the broader context of evolution. As the title suggests, the book is a bit racy in places. The persona of Dr. Tatiana is charming, a witty Victorian scholar who has surely acquired experience with a number of gentlemen. Dr. Tatiana is a mix of Dr. Ruth, Steven Jay Gould and Gary Larson. Like the other reviewers, I couldn't put this book down. It's a great read!
Rating:
Summary: Great Sex Education and Therapy - In One Single Dose !
Review: Whether the reader is a newcomer or season ticket holder with regards the comparative sex behaviour literature, this volume will surely prove itself to be both tremendously entertaining and educational. Judson?s novel ?agony aunt? Q & A style of presentation makes for a clearly accessible text for a wide audience of all ages and levels of understanding. This is a great way to impart much of the bewildering array of comparative morphology and associated knowledge concerning the rich diversity of sexual behaviour across a broad swathe of species. This book will surely attract many from the younger generation to the study of evolutionary and comparative biology/psychology. Many of us will wish that we had written this one! Not only do we read here about the birds and the bees?, mammalian phyla are well represented throughout the 13 chapters. The full tour includes gender differences (as well as similarities) and the how?s and why?s of the sex that might take place between them, whether that be in (serial) monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, or even parthenogenetic circumstances. The implications of each section for our better understanding of human sexual behaviours (both normal and abnormal) are rarely explicit, and for the most part (possibly intentionally so), are presented rather tongue-in-cheek. This is not a failing of the work, however. There is ample material here to occupy the lateral-thinking reader in this regard. Although this book makes for a terrific vacation or conference-trip read whilst in transit, it also has much of seriousness to offer the student of comparative psychology, sociology, anthropology, zoology or medicine. For those wishing to cut to the chase with the primary literature concerning particular issues, over 20 pages of extensively referenced notes are provided. Although by no means dealing extensively with theoretical issues in the aetiology of particular sex behaviours, we do meet (albeit briefly) with Darwin, Fisher, Hamilton, Bateman, Muller and Wallace. The notes cover every "Dear Dr. Tatiana..." Q & A presented in the book, and could well form the basis of core tutorial reading and/or stimulation for small group discussions. A welcome volume for the shelf at home as much as for the academic library, unless you?re comfortable with the public at large thinking that you?re undergoing sex therapy counseling, be sure to carry it in a brown paper bag when moving between the two!
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