The Victorian Joy of Sex

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

The Victorian Joy of Sex: Prudish? Far from it. A racy new book reveals our ancestors could teach today's lovers a thing or two about, ahem, 'courtship'

‘There must be no private reserves on the wedding night, and each one must allow their soul to be as open as their arms.’ 'A woman could become pregnant only if she experienced an orgasm at the same time as her lover.' These tidbits of advice about sex are things you wouldn't expect from the Victorian era, but the unearthing of a new text shows how our ancestors might have been a lot friskier than we once thought.