Kinky History

A Rollicking Journey through Our Sexual Past, Present, and Future

By: Esmé Louise James

Narrated by: Esmé Louise James

A provocative journey through human sexual history, packed with fun factoids and forgotten stories, from the historian and storyteller behind Kinky History, @esme.louisee on TikTok

Contrary to popular belief, our predecessors had all sorts of obscene hobbies long before Christian Grey hit the scene. In this enlightening romp, learn about the first instances of homosexuality on record from the ancient world and the diverse history of nonbinary gender; encounter a thousand years’ worth of hilarious and horrifying contraceptive methods; consider the positive and negative effects of the widespread availability of pornography in the digital age—and how our relationship to it changed during the pandemic; take a sneaky riffle through centuries of bedside drawers; and discover the dirty little secrets of luminaries such as Julius Caesar, James Joyce, Albert Einstein, and Virginia Woolf.
Esmé Louise James also identifies the key tipping points that directly inform current beliefs around sex to place the past in conversation with the present. By educating ourselves about the weird, wonderful, and varied spectrum of human sexuality and experience, we can normalize and destigmatize sex, write people of marginalized sexual identities back into the pages of history, and build toward a more liberated future.

Critic reviews

"Kinky History may not be the most fun you can have with your clothes on, because, well, you can have sex while still dressed. Regardless, Esmé Louise James’s book is a riotous romp that is entertaining, educational, empathetic, and inclusive. I loved it."—James Fell, author of On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down

“Who knew that history could be so…kinky? Esmé Louise James offers a lesson in history that you most definitely did not receive in school. She shows how, by looking into the past, we can learn a lot about sex in the present, including the root sources of sexual shame. This book shows how the path to modern sexual liberation starts with a comprehensive understanding of the history of sex, kinks and all.” —Justin J. Lehmiller, Ph.D., Host of the Sex and Psychology Podcast and author of Tell Me What You Want

"Bold and enlightening, Kinky History is a radical journey through the evolution of human intimacy. It’s a thrilling reminder of the need to break taboos and forge a sex-positive future. Not just a book, it’s a compelling call to sexual understanding and acceptance."—Chantelle Otten, author of The Sex Ed You Never Had

"A feast for the mind and the imagination, featuring histories you definitely didn't learn in school. Best served over multiple sittings, it will leave you more than satisfied."—Dr. Amy Thunig, author of Tell Me Again

"Esmé is wonderfully knowledgeable and passionate about the history of all things sex. Her unbridled enthusiasm is infectious, making it hard not to be drawn into the fascinating world of Kinky History!"—Dr. Matt Agnew, author of Dr. Matt's Guide to Life in Space

Non-fiction pick of the week: "Far from being academic, it's a tale told with relish and humor ... A colorful study, often told in a suitably picaresque style."—Sydney Morning Herald

"Friendly and accessible ... a fun book and an important one as it explores five 'kinks' that may challenge how we think about sex."—Books+Publishing

"Written with obvious relish, Kinky History is fun and informative."—ArtsHub

"Like James herself, Kinky History is hilarious, thoughtful, nuanced, and driven by academic research. It’s both a compendium of incredible historical tidbits about everything from ancient dildos to tentacle porn, and a plea to treat our sexual desires with empathy and understanding. If only every history book were as compelling, we’d be destined to never forget the past."—Dr Hallie Libermann, author of Buzz: A Stimulating History of Sex Toys

The author is the narrator and it sounds like she’s smiling and loving reading this book for us the entire time

I loved the way Esme writes the different characters of history through the story, though I’m not quite sure of a dinner party was the best idea to introduce them to us

What a Fun Lense for Analyzing Modern Sex

This is a deeply thoughtful and extremely fun look at humanity and sexuality in the past, present, and future. I highly recommend!!

an amazing and titillating journey

this was an amazing journey through sex history. Esmé does an amazing job in both writing and presenting the information in an exciting format that doesn't feel sterile as many books on the topic does. beautifully done. imma go start it again.

The narrator was terrible!

I couldn’t concentrate on the story at all—the narrator said everything as if in mid-giggle, which made even factual information sound false coming from her voice. I would avoid and save the money!

Mostly Statistics and Facts than History

This book is more facts and statistics about human sexuality and how people identify in more modern times, with a relative historical character or fact thrown in as an attempt to make a connection between past and present as it relates to the current chapter’s statistics.

The author is definitely passionate about her research and subject matter but the chapters feel like longer versions of TikTok videos that don’t translate into a book of this length which makes the narration become repetitive and tedious while the dinner party theme of the narrative doesn’t really work here.

The author and narrator is young and passionate but like others have stated, everything said sounds as though she is mid giggle. It reads more as a very cool, non judgmental teacher making things more open and comfortable in a sex ed class. This is not a derogatory statement either, if society was more progressive I would love to see this book used as a teaching tool in high schools or intro classes in college as it does provide a lot of good information and facts that would go a long way in removing the stigma around how one identifies or what they enjoy. If this is not your first dive into the history of human sexuality though, you will probably find it a bit exhausting.