Pascal Picq

If the mythical "good savage" were to observe Western societies and their customs, he would be greatly surprised by the display of an obsession with sex. It would seem that the men and women of today have finally discovered sexual fulfI'ment. Sexology has been enhanced by fiedings in various disciplines - biology, ethology, medicine, psychology and psychoanalysis. Biological and cultural anthropology and even palaeoanthropology have been called upon to help us understand more fully the complexity of our desires and behaviour. This book offers a methodical approach to human sexuality from its origins to present-day issues, enabling readers to browse freely by theme or question. Each subject is clearly treated with explanations of recent scientific fiedings and a debunking of received ideas and other false explanations based on dogma or on so-called "natural laws". Aspects of erotic life examined here include: sexual maturity, sexual orientation, attachment, feelings, love, fidelity, puberty, the learning process, fulfilled adult sexuality, new practices, perversions and pornography. A central issue guides the authors: What is uniquely human? What can we learn from animal behaviour? Two authors, known for their originality, eminence and iedependence, bring together their complementary skills and reflections. They review current knowledge in science, medicine and the social sciences; when a new subject is introduced, an appraisal of existing knowledge and current controversies is provided. An appendix of sexual statistics synthesises the results of anthropological, sociological, medical and bI'metric studies; it is accompanied by a critical analysis of the major studies on sexuality and sexual liberation of the past thirty years. The author of the widely acclaimed Au commencement tait l'homme (2003) and Lucy et l'obscurantI'me (2007), Pascal Picq is a lecturer in the Chair of Palaeoanthropology and Prehistory at the Coll ge de France. His works include Les Tigres (2004) and Les Grands Singes (2005). The author of Les Violences ordinaires (2008) and Inventer le couple (2001), Philippe Brenot is a psychiatrist, couple therapist, director of sexology courses at the University of Paris-V, and the president of the Observatoire International du Couple. His works include Le Sexe et l'Amour (2003) and Le G nie et la Folie (2007).

At a time when prehistory fascinates an ever-larger audience, here is a timely and concise overview of paleo-anthropology, covering recent fiedings and the challenges and discussions the field has sparked. During the past few decades, the search for fossils has accelerated to a fevered pitch, with the result that an unexpected number of human ancestors have been unearthed. In forty years, the genealogical tree of human evolution has grown so extensively that it now spans six million years. But the fossils, the tree and the story they tell openly challenge all prevailing ideas about evolution; and though they have been shaken, these ideas have barely begun to change. In this book, Pascal Picq examines concrete, existing proof of our origins and then goes on to offer a new view of the human position in the evolutionary process. This is an exciting, luminous book, combining scientific rigour and narrative talent. It provides a brilliant introduction to some of today's most fascinating ? and fundamental ? issues. Pascal Picq is a senior lecturer in paleo-anthropology and prehistory at the Coll ge de France.