What do you think?
Rate this book
Sapphistry: The Book of Lesbian Sexuality
Sapphistry : The Book of Lesbian Sexuality - paperback
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
10 people are currently reading
420 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Califia
65Ìýbooks150ÌýfollowersPatrick Califia, who formerly wrote under the names Pat Califia and Patrick Califia-Rice, is a writer of nonfiction (on men, gender, transgender identity, and sexuality) and fiction (erotica, poetry, and short stories).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 22, 2007
I bought this book in at a Half Price Books in 1995, the first time I ever went to Austin, TX. There is a recipe for chicken and couscous handwritten on the inside front cover, and the title page includes Marlene and Dawn's phone number. I wonder how they're doing.
Anyway, this book has lovely illustrations by Tee Corinne and really hot sections on sexual fantasies and favorite sexual experiences.
Anyway, this book has lovely illustrations by Tee Corinne and really hot sections on sexual fantasies and favorite sexual experiences.
July 25, 2012
This book is pretty dated, but in a way that makes reading it like an archaeological discovery of what being a lesbian was like before I was born. There's a mix of really sweet things that were helpful to know that in a more modern book might be frankly edited out in favor of technique and kink instruction, and on downside there was also some now-we-know-better *really* inappropriate advice about dating younger girls.
January 25, 2024
Sapphistry: The Book of Lesbian Sexuality (Paperback)
by Patrick Califia-Rice
Highly illustrated. Encyclopedic introduction to basic sexuality.
by Patrick Califia-Rice
Highly illustrated. Encyclopedic introduction to basic sexuality.
Read
August 6, 2021I have/read the 1983 2nd edition of Sapphistry. A remarkable amount holds up nearly 4 decades later. That said, as a non-binary dyke and a trans person, the book's perspective on who is included in "lesbian" is limiting and alienating. It's very cisnormative, equating lesbian with woman with particular anatomy which means many lesbians won't see themselves in the text.
Knowing that Califia's self-knowledge evolved since writing Sapphistry makes me curious how he now views this work.
Some of the commentary reflects the time in which it was written and sounds strange for North America today, but it's useful for younger lesbians to have a taste of how extreme & common isolation and closetedness was in this recent of history.
Despite the challenges, if one reads the book with this foreknowledge it's an interesting peek into radical knowledge from previous generations*. There are things I appreciate about the author's frank approach, so far ahead of its time that some portions still read as radically plain spoken about often taboo topics.
* Note: important for those of us under 40 to remember that Califia's generation is still here, just not necessarily moving in the same circles as younger dykes do. There's lots we can learn from those who have gone before, and it's useful to learn something about their experiences and realities.
Reading & rereading is likely to evoke some responsive art from me sometime soon, and I look forward to exploring the portions of this work that continue to resonate, at the same time that other portions are wildly mismatched with my current reality and perspective.
Knowing that Califia's self-knowledge evolved since writing Sapphistry makes me curious how he now views this work.
Some of the commentary reflects the time in which it was written and sounds strange for North America today, but it's useful for younger lesbians to have a taste of how extreme & common isolation and closetedness was in this recent of history.
Despite the challenges, if one reads the book with this foreknowledge it's an interesting peek into radical knowledge from previous generations*. There are things I appreciate about the author's frank approach, so far ahead of its time that some portions still read as radically plain spoken about often taboo topics.
* Note: important for those of us under 40 to remember that Califia's generation is still here, just not necessarily moving in the same circles as younger dykes do. There's lots we can learn from those who have gone before, and it's useful to learn something about their experiences and realities.
Reading & rereading is likely to evoke some responsive art from me sometime soon, and I look forward to exploring the portions of this work that continue to resonate, at the same time that other portions are wildly mismatched with my current reality and perspective.
December 31, 2015
This is sort of a reference book. I guess when it came out there was nothing similar (first published in 1980). It is remarkable that it's so old and still so relevant. In terms of politics it could have been written last week--Califia talks about including trans women in lesbian culture and about pedophilia as an alternative sexuality! There are also long sections about bdsm and use of dildos which I gather were controversial at that point in time. It's a good book.
September 17, 2018
Oh man.
This is one of those strangely-early reads.
Like, I think I picked it up around age 14.
I have been fascinated by sex for as long as I can remember.
There's a book about gay male sex that's sort of similar in its 70s era cover design. Just have to find it...
This is one of those strangely-early reads.
Like, I think I picked it up around age 14.
I have been fascinated by sex for as long as I can remember.
There's a book about gay male sex that's sort of similar in its 70s era cover design. Just have to find it...
January 2, 2008
I dont htink you can get this anymore, its a rare find. Or so im told. But its a lesbian must have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just because its pretty informative, interesting, hot and well- by Pat Califia!
June 22, 2009
I can only say that my copy is signed and numbered by the author.
February 17, 2010
I remember loving this when I read it. It seems to me I reread it once.
January 17, 2016
Too fundamental to be of any real interest. However, maybe I should have read this at a younger age.
October 1, 2017
stored 2012
July 6, 2023
Reading this 43 years after publication, obviously, some things are outdated, specifically medicines and treatments. However, this is to be expected, and the author even takes note of this. Nevertheless, as a pansexual woman with a transgender son, I found this book informative, straightforward, and non-judgmental. I found myself learning more from this book than I ever learned growing up. It's a sad truth that even 43 years later, these subjects are still taboo. Even if you aren't a lesbian, I'd recommend reading this. Not only did I finally have questions answered that I've been wondering since childhood, but I also learned so much more about myself as a female and my sexuality.
November 1, 2023
This book is extremely comprehensive of most sexual experiences� including ones that are frowned upon for good reason. There’s a section about how an adult should be able to be in a relationship with a minor that made me cringe and another section that approved of practices of beastiality. I did like all the other parts of the book but those two sections really soured my experience.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.