Publisher's Note This is a serious but engaging work based on more than 800 patents. Its seventeen chapters present an illustrated narrative tracing American sexual mores and practices from the 1840s to the present day, documenting a mind-boggling array of patented devices ranging from vaginal implements carved of whalebone to condoms embedded with musical computer chips.
What happens when the legendary American passion for invention collides with the legendary American passion for sex? Eye-opening, provocative, and entertaining, this book reveals the amazing story of our national quest for sexual innovation--straight from the files of the U.S. Patent Office. Covers over 800 unusual and often incredible devices.