5 h 16 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What did people trust to stir desire—and what did they turn to when they wanted it quiet?
In Aphrodisiacs and Anti-Aphrodisiacs, John Davenport gathers accounts from earlier physicians, travellers and scholars about substances said to awaken or restrain desire. Foods, spices, plants, animal products and charms enter the picture. His subject brings old medicine into contact with folklore and religion, revealing beliefs about human passion.
Published in 1869, the book belongs to a world where writings on sexual matters circulate privately among small circles of readers. Davenport approaches this guarded subject as a collector of curious knowledge. Read his gathering of claims as a record of history and custom, not as medical advice: many lack support from modern medicine, and some substances can cause harm.
What you’ll discover
- A guarded Victorian subject Explore sexual lore gathered in a century that speaks of sex through careful hints.
- Remedies rooted in belief Meet foods, plants and charms that earlier cultures trust to influence desire.
- The other side of passion Discover beliefs about quieting desire, alongside claims about stirring it.
- Voices from earlier writings Follow Davenport through accounts by physicians, travellers and scholars with different sources of knowledge.
- History rather than prescriptions Examine old claims with curiosity while keeping belief distinct from reliable medical guidance.
Who will love it
This book will delight readers who love curious history, old medicine and folklore, and who enjoy a collector of odd facts quoting Montaigne, Rabelais and the court records of old France.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Fertility symbols were once held sacred
- Impotence and sterility are different troubles
- Fear and the law made matters worse
- Love potions run from mandrake to hippomanes
- Foods, drugs and electricity were all tried
- Cooling desire has its own list
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 4 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
Aphrodisiaques et antaphrodisiaques 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.
Aphrodisiaques et antaphrodisiaques
by John Davenport · 1869
Saint Foutin, mandrake roots, ant spirits and a bed on forty glass pillars crowd this tour of human desire.
Challenging5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
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
In short
What did people in every age believe about desire, and how much of it was folklore? John Davenport, an English writer who died in 1877, sets out to answer with dry humor.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Fertility symbols were once held sacred
Davenport opens with the oldest religion. Nature was first worshipped through its power to bring forth life, and the symbols of that power seemed holy to the ancients, not shameful. He follows them through Egypt, Greece, Rome and India.
In India husbands gave brides a small jewel called the taly, marked with such an emblem. A papal legate ordered converts to wear a cross instead. The women refused, and the missionaries settled the quarrel by engraving a cross on the taly itself.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
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 Aphrodisiaques et antaphrodisiaques
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.
What is Aphrodisiacs and Anti-Aphrodisiacs about?
It is three essays by John Davenport on fertility symbols, impotence and sterility, and the foods, drugs and potions people used to raise or lower desire. He draws on ancient writers, doctors, church records and court cases.
What is tying the points in this book?
It is an old French belief that a knotted cord, tied at a wedding, could make a groom unable to consummate his marriage. Davenport describes the spell, the trials, the counter-charms and why he thinks fear was the true cause.
What is the Judicial Congress?
It was a French court ordeal in which a husband accused of impotence had to show his powers before appointed examiners. Davenport traces its origins, gives real cases and explains why Parliament banned it in 1677.
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
