Whether enemy or ally, demon or god, the source of satisfaction or the root of all earthly troubles, the penis has forced humanity to wrestle with its enduring mysteries. Here, in an enlightening and entertaining cultural study, is a book that gives context to the central role of the penis in Western civilization. A man can hold his manhood in his hand, but who is really gripping whom? Is the penis the best in man -- or the beast? How is man supposed to use it? And when does that use become abuse? Of all the bodily organs, only the penis forces man to confront such contradictions: something insistent yet reluctant, a tool that creates but also destroys, a part of the body that often seems apart from the body. This is the conundrum that makes the penis both hero and villain in a drama that shapes every man -- and mankind along with it. In A Mind of Its Own, David M. Friedman shows that the penis is more than a body part. It is an idea, a conceptual but flesh-and-blood measuring stick of man's place in the world. That men have a penis is a scientific fact; how they think about it, feel about it, and use it is not. It is possible to identify the key moments in Western history when a new idea of the penis addressed the larger mystery of man's relationship with it and changed forever the way that organ was conceived of and put to use. A Mind of Its Own brilliantly distills this complex and largely unexamined story. Deified by the pagan cultures of the ancient world and demonized by the early Roman church, the organ was later secularized by pioneering anatomists such as Leonardo da Vinci. After being measured "scientifically" in an effort to subjugate some races while elevating others, the organ was psychoanalyzed by Sigmund Freud. As a result, the penis assumed a paradigmatic role in psychology -- whether the patient was equipped with the organ or envied those who were. Now, after being politicized by feminism and exploited in countless ways by pop culture, the penis has been medicalized. As no one has before him, Friedman shows how the arrival of erection industry products such as Viagra is more than a health or business story. It is the latest -- and perhaps final -- chapter in one of the longest sagas in human history: the story of man's relationship with his penis. A Mind of Its Own charts the vicissitudes of that relationship through its often amusing, occasionally alarming, and never boring course. With intellectual rigor and a healthy dose of wry humor, David M. Friedman serves up one of the most thought-provoking, significant, and readable cultural works in years.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever wanted to know about the penis but were afraid to ask? Dr. Aaron Spitz has that answer—and many more. Let Dr. Spitz—who served as assistant clinical professor at UC Irvine's Department of Urology for 15 years and who is a regularly featured guest on The Doctors—become your best friend as he fearlessly guides you through the hairiest and the scariest questions in The Penis Book. An unflinching, comprehensive guide to everything from sexually transmitted infections to the science of blood flow, The Penis Book prominently features an easy-to-follow holistic five-step plan for optimum penis health, including plant-based eating recommendations, information on some penis-healthy foods, and suggested exercises for penis wellbeing. Useful to men and women alike, The Penis Book is a one-stop-shop for the care and maintenance of the penis in your life.

“Should be required reading for anyone who has a penis, wants a penis, or loves someone who has or wants a penis . . . titillating and informative.”—Dan Savage, New York Times-bestselling author The almighty penis (a.k.a. dick, schlong, pecker, rod, tool, Johnson, etc.) has long been a major object of adoration, revulsion, ridicule, amazement, joy, pride, and even frustration. But does anyone fully understand the penis? Novelist, playwright, and journalist Maggie Paley immersed herself in the obsessive world of this most forthright of organs, looking for answers high and low. She pored over scholarly volumes, anthropology texts, and sex-shop glossies; interviewed sex workers, transsexuals, and phallus connoisseurs of all stripes; attended male strip shows and a Hindu lingam ceremony; visited web sites where men share masturbation techniques; and even searched out the current location of Napoleon’s penis. And, yes, she objectively addresses the big question: “Does size matter?” Along the way, we encounter deliciously entertaining and highly informative chapters on penis worship, fellatio, and men who are famous for their dicks, as well as the penis in art, fashion, literature, films, and much more. In this “clever and hilarious” book—delightfully illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier—“Paley humanizes the penis by exposing the pervasive social and cultural baggage associated with it . . . Damn good” (Bust). “[Paley] hits the subject on the head.”—Playboy “Spirited, filled with fact and some fancy, emphasizing the penis’s power to drive male behavior but designed to make both women and men more comfortable with the dreaded word—and perhaps even the actuality—penis.”—Kirkus Reviews

The Book Where You’re the Star! Every scene in Penis Pokey has one thing missing—and you have to complete the picture. Are you up to the challenge?

Why do testicles hang the way they do? Is there an adaptive function to the female orgasm? What does it feel like to want to kill yourself? Does "free will" really exist? And why is the penis shaped like that anyway? In Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?, the research psychologist and award-winning columnist Jesse Bering features more than thirty of his most popular essays from Scientific American and Slate, as well as two new pieces, that take readers on a bold and captivating journey through some of the most taboo issues related to evolution and human behavior. Exploring the history of cannibalism, the neurology of people who are sexually attracted to animals, the evolution of human body fluids, the science of homosexuality, and serious questions about life and death, Bering astutely covers a generous expanse of our kaleidoscope of quirks and origins. With his characteristic irreverence and trademark cheekiness, Bering leaves no topic unturned or curiosity unexamined, and he does it all with an audaciously original voice. Whether you're interested in the psychological history behind the many facets of sexual desire or the evolutionary patterns that have dictated our current mystique and phallic physique, Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That? is bound to create lively discussion and debate for years to come.

Boy, oh, boy, it's a difficult decision when it comes to naming a guy's manhood. Does one go respectable with Peter O'Toole? Or hip with the Big Lebowski? Or choose one with a little more flavor, like Charleston Chew? With so many possibilities, it could really drive a person nuts! Lucky for those looking to nail down the perfect name for their (partner's) favorite body part, there's this book. It's a long, hard process coming up with an original name for a man's member, so this book doesn't beat around the bush. It pulls together 500 options, sizes them up, and helps you get down to business and choose the perfect fit. At the end of the naming process, you will think your choice is a stroke of genius--and be relieved you're not just calling it Harry or Dick.

Play with yourself—again and again! Every scene in Penis Pokey has one thing missing—and you have to complete the picture! This all-new edition features puzzles, connect-the-dots pictures, a maze, and a dry-erase marker for drawing your own creations.