Today, print and online resources that blur or offer a new perspective on sex and gender abound.
Recent debates and scholarship focused on sex and gender illustrate, first, that gendered discourse
in both the public and private domains is most assuredly alive and well in the first decade of the
twenty-first century, and, second, that the concepts of sex and gender are inherently interdisciplinary,
drawing on anthropology, biology, cultural studies, history, linguistics, literature, political science,
psychology, and sociology. Undergraduates in these fields, as well as advanced high-school students and
educated general readers, need look no further than this landmark work to explore, examine, and evaluate
the various concepts of sex and gender that impact nearly every area of human interaction and activity.
Scope and contents, along with the parameters of the encyclopedia, are covered in a carefully written
introduction. The variety of entries and the breadth of subjects treated in this encyclopedia are two of
the many notable features of the work. Readers will find highly readable and well-written articles on
body parts, the biology of sex, ancient cultures, mass media, diseases, film, gender roles, literature,
religion, reproduction, sex practices, and sexual preferences. This list represents but a few of the 33
broad themes presented in the .Thematic Outline. and covered within these pages. Coverage within each
theme is consistently broad. Under .Commerce and Crime,. for example, are entries on Call girls,
Courtesans, Date rape drugs, Rent boys, Sex crimes, Sex toys, Sex tourism, and Trannie whore, to name
just a few. Under .Politics. there are entries for, among others, Colonialism, Domestic violence,
Ecofeminism, Espionage, Fascism, Lewinsky affair, and Marie Antoinette. The alphabetic arrangement of
the encyclopedia.along with a cumulative, nearly 100-page index; a thematic outline; and cross-
references.facilitates access to more than 730 entries written by contributors from 19 countries and
reviewed by an editorial board of their peers. Each signed entry contains a bibliography, and some 250
photos and illustrations enhance and enrich the text. Bringing together a remarkable array of material,
this set, which appears to be without competition, will no doubt succeed in providing information but
also in creating dialogue around issues of sex and gender. It is recommended without reserve for large
public and academic libraries. Also available as an e-book. --Sarah Watstein

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