Civil war pornography

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book.

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again.

Traditional histories of the Civil War steer clear of sex and birth control in favor of heroes and battles. This ignores reality. Court martial records list over , incidents of sexual misconduct, and the Surgeon General of the United States Army documented , cases of venereal disease in the Union Army. The men and women, too who produced these alarming statistics came from all ranks of society.

By Judith Giesberg. She also seeks to shed light on the asserted "Civil War origins of American antipornography" p. This slim volume, based on a series of lectures delivered at Pennsylvania State University, begins with a review of the findings of recent works in cultural, legal, and print history, which have called attention to a dynamic antebellum trade in licentious literature. As Giesberg reaffirms, pioneering publishers and dealers of erotica were centered in New York City and began to mobilize the U. The heart of the book lies in its perceptive exploration of the impact of mail-order pornography during the Civil War.