"... brings together for the first time studies of the sexual cultures of all the major European countries--including France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, Britain and the Netherlands--to focus on their commonalities and differences. European sexual cultures were widely diverse, partly as a result of the great religious divides, different legal systems, and different economic patterns. However, there were some strands of common experience--the reaction to the Enlightenment, the Western influence on the South and East, the hybridization of populations, and sexual fantasy and tourism" (publisher).