The Origin of the World is a revealing, intimate and liberating study of female sexuality. Sexologist Jelto Drenth believes that sex is pleasurable and fulfilling, but that to enjoy it to the full you must know how it works. The author describes the workings of the vagina in simple language, giving an illustrated guided tour; but this book is not merely a technical exploration of female sexuality. It examines the vagina historically, anatomically, anthropologically and biologically, drawing on many sources including medical texts, myth, science fiction and fantasy, and feminist and lesbian literature, with illuminating critical observations. The book goes back to the Middle Ages, examines non-Western cultural practices, including clitoridectomy and virginity checks, tests Freud's theories on coitus, and deals at length with sexual desire, lovemaking and orgasm. The Origin of the World is full of insights from the most diverse quarters, in which stimulating poetry and romantic literature are blended with historical, anthropological and medical data. A well-illustrated, truly encyclopaedic work, it is at the same time a lightly written, occasionally humorous exploration of a subject close to us all. Both women and men alike will find this book engaging and informative, and will discover a great deal about themselves as well as the opposite sex.