5 h 37 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 37 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when ancient writers speak plainly about love and sexual practice?
In Manual of Classical Erotology (De Figuris Veneris), Greek and Roman poets, satirists and epigrammatists speak plainly about desire, sometimes with humor. Love and sexual practice become subjects for close study rather than silence. Their frankness offers a glimpse of how ancient literature treats desire as an ordinary part of life.
First published in 1824, this collection also opens a window onto the habits of early nineteenth-century scholarship. Friedrich Karl Forberg does not offer a love manual of his own. His work places frank material within an academic setting, where the language of scholars both permits discussion and limits who can join it.
What you’ll discover
- Ancient voices without reserve Meet Greek and Roman writers who treat desire as an ordinary part of life.
- Poetry, satire and epigrams Explore passages where love becomes material for verse, pointed observation and jokes.
- A scholar's classical world Explore how early nineteenth-century scholarship approaches ancient literature and its frank treatment of desire.
- Latin as a veil Consider how scholarly language makes frank discussion possible while keeping its audience small.
- At respectability's edge Discover a collection whose subject gives it an unusual place among classical studies.
Who will love it
Para lectores adultos que disfrutan de la literatura clásica, la sátira y el epigrama romanos, la historia de las palabras y los rincones insólitos de la erudición. Si te gustan Marcial, Juvenal u Ovidio, este libro es para ti.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Un erudito reúne a sus predecesores más explícitos
- La unión habitual admite muchas variantes cara a cara
- A horcajadas, de pie o por detrás: cada postura tiene su razón
- La práctica anal revela el pudor y la depilación romanos
- La boca trae vergüenza, jerga y etimologías extrañas
- Manos y cuerpos ofrecen otros placeres privados
- Lengua, clítoris y cuero sirven sin el órgano masculino
- Animales, cadenas de amantes y una lista numerada
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Manual de erotología clásica (De Figuris Veneris) in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Manual de erotología clásica (De Figuris Veneris)
by Friedrich Karl Forberg (compilador) · 1824
Un hombre de libros de Coburgo reúne a Marcial, Ovidio y Juvenal para catalogar 90 posturas eróticas.
Medium level2–5 hours to read2 languages
Aprende un idioma con clásicos de nivel mediumEspañolFrancésAlemánItalianoJaponésPortuguésInglésCómo medimos los niveles
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What did the Greeks and Romans really write about desire, and why do so many editors fall silent just where the text turns frank? The Manual of Classical Erotology gathers the passages in one place and explains them.
Manual de erotología clásica (De Figuris Veneris) de un vistazo
- Tiempo de lectura
- Unas 3 h 5 min2 h 25 min fast, 3 h 40 min slow
- Duración
- 43.800 palabras
- Nivel en la biblioteca
- Mediano longer sentences, everyday words
- Primera publicación
- 1824by Friedrich Karl Forberg (compilador)
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). Cuánto se tarda en leer los clásicos · Actualizado
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Un erudito reúne a sus predecesores más explícitos
Forberg comienza diciendo lo que no hará: presumir de experiencia personal. La filosofía, ese jardín donde esperaba instalarse para siempre, está desolada. Por eso recurrió a este tema como pasatiempo.
Su segundo motivo es más serio. Los lectores de autores antiguos encuentran franqueza e ingenio mordaz, pero los comentaristas responden con una brevedad pudorosa o con silencio. Así dejan enigmas sin resolver. Forberg quiere ofrecer a los adultos la ayuda que aquellos les negaron.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Has visto
¿Qué edición es la adecuada para mí?
- 15-minute summary
- Las ideas clave de todo el libro en unos 13 minutos. Una buena introducción o un repaso.
Detalles
- First published
- 1824
- Language
- Español
- Reading time
- 3 h 35 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cita esta edición
Forberg, Friedrich Karl. Manual of Classical Erotology (De Figuris Veneris). Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/manual-of-classical-erotology-de-figuris-veneris.
Forberg, F. K. (2026). Manual of classical erotology (De figuris Veneris). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/manual-of-classical-erotology-de-figuris-veneris (Original work published 1824)
Forberg, Friedrich Karl. Manual of Classical Erotology (De Figuris Veneris). Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/manual-of-classical-erotology-de-figuris-veneris.
@book{forberg2026manual,
author = {Forberg, Friedrich Karl},
title = {Manual of Classical Erotology (De Figuris Veneris)},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/manual-of-classical-erotology-de-figuris-veneris},
note = {First published 1824}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Manual de erotología clásica (De Figuris Veneris)
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
¿De qué trata el Manual de erotología clásica?
Recopila pasajes de autores griegos y latinos antiguos sobre prácticas sexuales y los organiza por capítulos. Forberg añade notas sobre palabras, bromas y costumbres, y termina con una lista numerada de 90 posturas.
¿Quién escribió De Figuris Veneris y cuándo?
Friedrich Karl Forberg, un helenista y latinista alemán de la región de Coburgo, lo compiló como comentario erudito a partir de Marcial, Ovidio, Juvenal, Suetonio y muchos otros autores. Lo escribió a principios del siglo 19.
¿Quiénes son Luisa Sigea y Chorier en el libro?
Luisa Sigea es el nombre falso de Nicolas Chorier, un abogado francés que escribió un diálogo en latín con escenas eróticas. Forberg lo cita a menudo como ilustración vivaz, aunque es una invención posterior, no un testimonio antiguo.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
