Masturbation in its historical, clinical and anthropological aspects is thoroughly encompassed in the seventeen chapters of this volume. Most knowledgeable clinicians will find little that is new but much that is quaint, curious and deeply detailed. Its chief appeal will be to the student who is interested in the scholarly aspects of the subject or to the well-informed layman. It will be of little help to the young, the uninformed or the casual layman, since the various chapters are quite clinical and at times esoteric.

Since the ideas in this book have already permeated our adult society, it manages consistently to beat a dead horse. Most of the papers are quite old including one by Havelock Ellis published in 1900. Masters, in his superficial editorial comments, quotes Freud: “The subject of masturbation is quite inexhaustable.” Most readers will find the subject not only exhausted but tedious.