Today, some acts are generally considered "dirtier" and "kinkier" than others. I imagine this has been a constant throughout history. But have these always been the same acts? Over time, have some parts of the human sexual repertoire been normalized and some parts been exotified?

What's a piece of information regarding pornography and obscenity that has stuck with you in all your research? Whether it be shocking, humorous, and/or fascinating.

What are the earliest examples of what you would consider pornography?

My understanding is that many artifacts once considered pornographic are now understood to be religious icons, meant for the worship of fertility goddesses.

A question about sexuality.

I have heard the theory that most families lived in one room with one bed up until fairly recent times, and that children probably were accustomed to seeing their parents have sex. How true is this? And if it is true, how do you think it impacted societies values for sex? And when/how did this change?

I know pornography has been a major driving force for technological advancement. Are there any particularly interesting examples of pornography having a notable impact on other aspects of culture?

Are there any good examples of high profile historical people either having an unusual porn interest or getting "busted" with porn? Any early porn scandals?

How have bestiality and other 'weird' pornography (scat, fetish) been depicted throughout the centuries? Can you give examples?

How 'respectable' was 'Fanny Hill' when first published? Would it be only displayed on a gentleman's bookshelf? Was the controversy around it greater than that around other novels like Tom Jones and Pamela?

Hi Brian!

Your work seems to have a decidedly pro-pornography bent (which I largely agree with, btw). Can you pinpoint instances where pornography was a negative force?

In particular I'm thinking of the popular narrative of NYC, that the sudden relaxation of obscenity laws meant that Times Square quickly became a dangerous spot with a skewed male-female ratio, a city government that didn't know how to address the area's changing demographics without running afoul of the Supreme Court, and the extremely negative effect this had on Broadway and midtown west real estate.

Can you speak to this narrative and offer some perspective on either side of it?

I apologize, these following questions may be a bit esoteric:

1. I have run accross references (and a long time ago, seen) the unusual porn that was called "Victorian Thumb Books" -- where holes were cut out in pictures printed in stiff cardbaord-like pages depicting ribald scenes, and the thumbs were pressed from the opposite side to emulate "naughty bits" (bottoms, breasts, etc) -- do you have any sources or information on these? Its out of my field of speciality, and I've wondered if there are good references on these (or if somehow they are fevered imaginings I had, as they are from way back in my memory).

2. Are there any good British Colonial or United Kingdom homosexual pornography sources which you could point me to?

I am looking forward to reading your book!

How far back in time could you go and find something that would be widely considered hot today?

What can you tell us about early "porn stars"? You mention pornography being used as advertising for prostitutes, so who were the earliest non-prostitute subjects? Were they amateurs chosen just for their looks? When did modeling for porn become a career of sorts? When did it become common for specific women to be known for doing porn?

Without intending to break the 20-year rule, the epithet "cuck" has become common among certain reactionary discourses on the Internet, seeming to carry racial and gender-based implications in line with the frequently racialized genre of cuckold porn (i.e. denoting a white man who allows a nonwhite man to "steal his woman"). With this in mind, what historical trends have you encountered concerning "interracial" or otherwise racialized pornography? If so, what might this be able to tell us about the broader social phenomena of racism and racialization? What implications do you believe might exist in terms of the "intersectionality" between race-based and gender-based forms of social marginalization?

Since porn is largely considered taboo anyway has it enjoyed any sort of immunity (from the viewpoint of its consumer) from the social mores of its time? "I gotta hide it anyway, so who cares what it is?"

And going from that, how can you even gather this data, given that most society's attitudes toward it is to hide/destroy it? Are there any prominent historical examples of dad's stash under the bed?

What effects did the Comstock laws have on pornography in America? Was porn more locally produced? Did the other courier companies (proto FedEx etc) happily meet the need to transmit pornography, at a higher price point than the US Post Office? Did the end of the Comstock era lower the price of porn in any way?

I know the types of pornography people are interested in can vary widely by the time period and location. Are there any historic fetishes or paraphilias that died out, either temporarily or permanently?

What a cool AMA. It is said there is nothing new under the sun. Does that mean modern "sexculture" isn't new and culture has always been this ridiculously over sexed?

I have been waiting my whole life for this thread! Thank you so much for doing an AMA and I hope I'm not too late! I'm on my phone so I have yet to,back out your website to know if I'm asking duplicate information, but, I am very interested to learn about homosexuality in art history. I was wondering if you could point me in a direction to begin this search? Specifically from the Victorian era through the Gilded Age.

Any help or advice would be appreciated! Thank you again!!

What was the origin of laws against certain types of pornography such as child porn, bestiality and whatever else? When and who pushed for it, and what was the general public reaction/response to them?

How censored were pornographic materials historically? Has censorship affected your research in any way?

Looking forward to reading your book!

I recently was studying the case of R. v Butler, and I was wondering what weight you give to the argument that obscenity as it is in heterosexual pornography, has no equivalent in homosexual pornography? I personally agree with what Christopher Kendall wrote in his book "Gay Male Pornography: An Issue of Sex Discrimination", where he argues that the focus of obscenity is the harm, and not the abuse of biological females by males. However, I am very interested to hear an expert opinion. Thanks!

When, why and how did incest become taboo?

• Are the Venus figurines of pre-history the first porn?

• If not, when are the first examples of porn in the historical record.

Is there any substance to the claim that pornography is at the core of big penis fetishism?

Do you have any favourite films or scenes? Are there any you think that were revolutionary for their time?

I was actually intrigued by "My Secret Life" by Walter which apparently was written in the later part of the 19th Century. I can't confess to reading it all, and am aware that many challenge whether it is fact or fiction but it is interesting in that it claims that women at least some men were sufficiently aware of female anatomy to take care that they were satisfied (in contrast to many claims about Victorian Britain) and that women too took a certain interest in pornography (W. used an illustrated edition of Fanny Hill to seduce some women).

My question is whether this account is isolated whether there is more from the 19th century that backs this up?

Have you heard of, or read the "My Secret Life" book, the anonymous sex book from the Victorian period? Reportedly it's a diary spanning 40 years that is focused mostly on the author's sex life. Printed in 1888 it features (among other things) lesbian acts, incest, bestiality, flagellation, and what would pass nowadays for public sex. Link to a summary here if you're not.

It's mentioned in The Other Victorians: A Study of Sexuality and Pornography in Mid-Nineteenth-Century England, by Steven Marcus (funnily my edition is from 1969), that I'm reading at the minute. The first and last thirds of Marcus's book are pretty good. Not quite finished yet though.

Just wondered if you had any thoughts on it. Is it well regarded as a primary source? Is it legit at all? I've never really bought into the idea of Victorian prudishness, always figured it was something the upper classes claimed to stick to, and that was about the extent of it.

What impact did Larry Flint have on the pornography industry by standing his ground? Where do you think the pornography industry would be if he had rolled over?

I'm copying and pasting my questions from your sitewide AMA, maybe focused on the "artistic merit" of pornography

Pornography is old, can be repetitive, and is about something that a lot of people do. 
What are some examples of the most creative, beautiful, or interesting pornography you have found? 
Maybe with relationship to plot & circumstance, setting, artistic vision, technical difficulty of production...

What was background music like in the early days of film (did it exist?), and how has it evolved?

Following from that, it seems like porn music can often be just awful to listen to. 
Is there a certain musical style that is common in modern porn, and if so, why is it common?

I used to masturbate to some Renaissance paintings as a kid. Do we have records of patrons requesting certain erotic scenes or features?

Why was porn restricted from ordinary people and only for the elite, and when did this change to it being available to more people, if not everyone?

Also when did the stereotype that women should see/watch porn come about?

Why is there such a massive need in the market for porn and when did that collective need emerge in our evolutionary timeline?

How common were nude pictures during the US Civil War era? Also how would one get a hold of them back then?

I remember awhile back finding /r/GoneWanton and seeing quite a bit of lesbian acts depicted. Who knows if they're authentic but it made me wonder how old the fetishizing of lesbian sex was. Have men always been turned on by woman-on-woman sex?

Hi Brian. What is your background? What did you get your MA in?

Not really a question about the subject matter, but will you be releasing your work through the Google Play bookstore? My entire digital library is with them currently. If not, I'll still get a copy of your book! Thanks for all of your hard work!

How common have extramarital affairs been, historically? I'm especially interested in those affairs that did not lead to marriage - as I've come to understand was common among the peasantry - or happened while one or both parts were married. While in the eyes of the law it has been prohibited under pain of some quite severe punishments, I am also aware that such things might have been ignored at least during certain eras. The 17th century especially seems to have been rather full of sex so to speak, at least from what I've seen during my own studies.

I realize this is a broad question, so be as specific or as broad as you want in your answer. My area is central and northern Europe during the early modern period, the 1600's especially, but I'm interested in all of it. I'm also more interested in what we know of commoners, merchants and peasants than the nobles, though I am again interested in all layers of society, if you have the energy and bredth of knowledge to compare.

Also, how effective birth control existed? I've heard varied claims to some of the more usual ones' effectiveness, like pulling out and safe days, did they work? Where there any herbs that actually lowered fertility? Was anal or oral sex, as well non-penetrative used in any common way to avoid children?

Thank you!

What was considered obscene in Weimar Berlin? Or did the authorities really just give up on this kind of regulation?