6494 references to world literature. Geographical and topical approaches, the latter also including history, fiction, public health, and psychiatry. Each entry gives bibliographical information. Author index.

"Prostitution in Medieval Society, a monograph about Languedoc between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, is also much more than that: it is a compelling narrative about the social construction of sexuality." – Catharine R. Stimpson

There are (at least) two competing views on prostitution: prostitution as a legitimate and acceptable form of employment, freely chosen by women and men's use of prostitution as a form of degrading the women and causing grave psychological damage. In 'The Idea of Prostitution' Sheila Jeffreys explores these sharply contrasting views.

According to reports of the World Health Organization, the prostitution of women and children is increasing dramatically throughout the world. The problem is particularly acute in the lower socioeconomic sectors of the population, including teen runaways, drug addicts, and victims of abuse. This survey focuses first on defining prostitution and then on the motivations of those who became prostitutes. In Part II the overall scope of the problem is examined, along with the various subcultures (e.g., street walkers and call girls) and the prevalence of drugs, crime and victimization. Part III covers teenage prostitution and the issues of child sexual abuse. Part IV details other dimensions of the sex trade industry, such as pornography, male prostitutes, customers, laws, and the effects of decriminalization and legalization. Female prostitution outside the United States is discussed in Part V.

Women who work as prostitutes are struggling against a disadvantaged position in society. The relative poverty in which many women still live in is seen as the cause for prostitution, in that sex is their most saleable commodity and can bring them substantial financial rewards. Originally published in 1982 and drawing on her involvement with PROS (Programme for Reform of the Law on Soliciting), one of the Street Prostitutes’ Campaigns in Britain, and on interviews with prostitutes and their clients, the author examines how the financial benefits are offset by the attitudes prostitutes encounter from men. It is shown that while, in some ways, the role of client reflects men’s advantageous social position, male clients are often trying to compensate for failure in their marriage, or an inability to conform to the accepted masculine role. What the clients want and the conditions in which prostitutes work are discussed in separate chapters. Meanwhile, the Law, the media and public opinion unite to protect the public face of morality and to condemn prostitutes as a corrupting influence in society. This study concludes by showing how prostitutes’ campaigns are struggling with these issues and relates this to the feminist efforts to improve the conditions in which women exist and work.

A study of alliances between prostitutes and femminists and their clashes with medical authorities and police.

Soiled Doves tells of the grey world of prostitution and the women who participated in the oldest profession. Colorful, if not socially acceptable, these ladies of easy virtue were a definite part of the early West -- Wearing ruffled petticoats with fancy bows, they were glamorous and plain, good and bad and many were as wild as the land they came to tame.