Masturbation Bibliography



By Dave, Solo Touch's Original Webmaster The following books are highly recommended, even though many of them are now out of print and difficult to find. There isn't much eroticism in most of these titles, but those interested in academic information about sexuality, masturbation and civil liberties will find these of interest. This bibliography was prepared to accompany the essay "Flipping Off The Pleasure Police" which appears on this Website.

Adams, Karl. Marathon Masturbation. Chatsworth, CA: Helios (1979). [A photo and text publication directed toward male readers.]

Bahr, Robert. The Virility Factor: Masculinity Through Testosterone, the Male Sex Hormone. Mobile, AL: Factor Press (1992). [This book, originally published by G. Putnam's Sons, tells all about male sex hormones. Another book by Bahr, Indecent Exposures, is short fiction directed toward exploring sex and psyche, even religion. Also published by Factor Press.]


Barbach, Lonnie Garfield. For Yourself: The Fulfillment of Female Sexuality. New York: Doubleday (1975). [A well-known, popular book about how to achieve female orgasms with lots of information about female masturbation.]


Barker, Tara. The Woman's Book of Orgasm: A Guide to the Ultimate Sexual Pleasure. Citadel Press (1998) [A good guide book for women. See also Barbach directly above; also Heiman, Swift and Beck below.]


Beck, Janalee. How to Have Multiple Orgasms. Avon (1993) [A guide for women.]
Kindle Version


Bennett, Paula and Vernon A. Rosario II (editors). Solitary Pleasures: The Historical, Literary and Artistic Discourses of Autoeroticism. New York: Routledge (1995). [Interesting; academic.]


Berkeley, Bud. Foreskin: A Closer Look. Boston: Alyson (1993). [Everything you ever wanted to know about male circumcision. Interesting photos and drawings. A selection from the book appears elsewhere on this website.]


Blank, Joani. Good Vibrations: The Complete Guide to Vibrators. San Francisco: Down There Press (1989). [Written by a woman primarily for women–and their partners–who are curious about masturbation with vibrators.]

Good Vibrations: The Complete Guide to Vibrators
Good Vibrations: The New Complete Guide to Vibrators


Blank, Joani (ed.). I Am My Lover: Women Pleasure Themselves. San Francisco: Down There Press (1988). Twelve women show all for the camera while they masturbate. Text shares their intimate feelings about the self-loving experience. Also edited by Joani Blank is First Person Sexual: Women and Men Write About Self-Pleasuring, another Down There Press book, all of them very worthwhile.

Kindle Version: First Person Sexual


Bullough, Vern L. Science In The Bedroom: A History of Sex Research. Basic Books.


Bullough, Vern L. and Bonnie Bullough. Sin, Sickness and Sanity: A History of Sexual Attitudes. New York: Garland Publishing (1977). [An absorbing account which includes a whole chapter on Victorian attempts to repress masturbation.]


Burstyn, Verda (editor). Women Against Censorship. Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre, Ltd. (1985). [Essays which are very good and pro-First Amendment.]


Camphausen, Rufus C. The Yoni: Sacred Symbol of Female Creative Power. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions (1996). [A beautifully illustrated paperback which traces the various uses of the female creative power, symbolized by the external female genitalia, which have existed throughout human history. Fascinating! A companion to Danielou's book listed below.]


Chia, Mantak & Douglas Abrams Arava. The Multi-Orgasmic Man: Sexual Secrets Every Man Should Know. San Francisco: Harper (1996). [Helpful to men wishing to achieve their ultimate in pleasure. Now available for Women and couples too.]


Kindle Version: Multi-Orgasmic Couple
The Multi-Orgasmic Woman: Discover Your Full Desire, Pleasure and Vitality


Comfort, Alex. The Anxiety Makers: Some Curious Preoccupations of the Medical Profession. New York: Dell Publishing (1969). [Dr. Comfort tells the tragic story of how medical "professionals" invented the 19th century hysteria about masturbation–a legacy from which we continue to suffer. Highly recommended.]


Daniélou, Alain. The Phallus: Sacred Symbol of Male Creative Power. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions (1995). [A beautifully illustrated paperback which tells the story of phallic worship throughout the ages. A companion to the Camphausen book listed above. An excellent set to acquire.]
Kindle Version


Delfattore, Joan. What Johnny Shouldn't Read: Textbook Censorship in America. New Haven: Yale University Press (1992). [A shocking account of efforts to control the thoughts of young Americans by placing in their hands–in public schools–incomplete, inaccurate and biased information. The instigators? Almost always they are fundamentalist Christians.]
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DeMartino, Manfred F. Human Autoerotic Practices. New York: Human Sciences Press (1979). [Mostly scholarly essays but easier to read than Marcus below. One essay by Betty Dodson. A portion of Albert Ellis' foreword is reproduced on this website.]

D'Emilio, John and Estelle B. Freedman. Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America. New York: Harper (1988).

Dodson, Betty. Sex For One: The Joy of Selfloving. New York: Harmony Books (1987). [If you read only one book on masturbation–regardless of whether you are a man or a woman–make this the one! There are some beautiful charcoal drawings of genitals and people masturbating. This book is the classic on this topic. A new edition was released in the spring of 1996 by Crown Trade Paperbacks. Dodson has also produced two excellent videos which champion female masturbation and provide instruction for women wanting to maximize their sexual satisfaction.]

Dodson, Betty. Liberating Masturbation. Privately published (1974). [The precursor to the title immediately above.]

Early, John T. "How Masturbation Can Improve Lovemaking." Sexology, Feb. 1975, p. 44.

Elders, Joycelyn. Joycelyn Elders M.D. by Joycelyn Elders and David Chanoff, Morrow, 1996. [The autobiography of our former surgeon general who was forced to resign because she advocated masturbation for teens as a way to prevent pregnancy and abortions!]

Ellis, Albert. Sex Without Guilt. New York: Lyle Stuart (1958, 1966). [By all means read this one! Also published by Wilshire Books.]

F.A.C.T. (Feminists Against Censorship) Book Committee. Caught Looking: Feminism, Pornography and Censorship. East Haven, Conn.: LongRiver Books (third edition, 1992). [Provocative essays with stimulating samples of porn throughout the ages.]

Feuerstein, Georg. Sacred Sexuality: Living the Vision of the Erotic Spirit. New York: Putnam (1992). [A body-positive book]

Friday, Nancy. The Power of Beauty. New York: Harper Collins (1996). [Friday made her mark with her classic renditions of the power of female fantasy in Women On Top, My Secret Garden, etc. Now she explores the role of self- image in our sex life, especially that part of our self-image related to our appearance. She includes an eloquent section in praise of masturbation.]

Gay, Peter. Education of the Senses. New York: Oxford (1984).

Gaylor, Annie Laurie. Betrayal of Trust: Clergy Abuse of Children. Madison, Wisc.: Freedom From Religion Foundation (1988). This book is now out of print. It is reprinted on the Web in its entirety at http://www.ffrf.org/betrayaloftrust.html.

Gordon, David Cole. Self-Love. Baltimore, Md.: Penguin (1968). [A candid discussion of masturbation; one of the first.]

Griffin, Gary. Sex for One (The Art of Male Masturbation) (1995). Added Dimensions Publishing, 100 South Sunrise Way, Ste 484, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

Griffin, Gary. The Art of Auto-Fellatio (Oral Sex for One), 4th ed. (1994) Added Dimensions Publishing, 100 South Sunrise Way, Ste 484, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

Haddon, Genia Pauli. Uniting Sex, Self and Spirit. Scotland, Conn.: PLUS Publications (1993). [A body-positive book]

Heiman, Julia and Joseph Lopiccolo. Becoming Orgasmic: A Sexual and Personal Growth Program for Women. Simon & Schuster (Revised, enlarged edition 1988 – now in paperback). [For women who are having trouble achieving orgasms, this is probably the most recommended guide. See also Barbach, Swift and Beck in this bibliography.]

Heins, Marjorie. Sex, Sin, and Blasphemy: A Guide to America's Censorship Wars. New York: The New York Press (1993). [The author, a female attorney, blasts critics who want to control behavior by controlling what we read and see. "The idea of banning a category of art or entertainment because it fosters bad attitudes is chilling.... Only in totalitarian societies does government try to control behavior by controlling thoughts.... The causation argument against pornography is fundamentally an argument that blames words and images for the acts of sick individuals.... [It's] bad politics, bad feminism, and a bad idea." p. 155, 164]

Hentoff, Nat. Free Speech for Me–But Not for Thee: How the American Left and Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other. New York: Harper (1992). [The title says it all!]

Hill, Charlotte and William Wallace. Erotica and Erotica II. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers (1992 and 1993 respectively). [Two exquisitely-illustrated volumes also containing intriguing text about sexual art and literature. The colorful and explicitly erotic paintings, statues and other works of art from all ages of history are real eye-openers–and eye-teasers! Erotica III is now out as well. Expensive but well worth the price. For those interested in erotic art, we also recommend: Kronhausen, Drs. Phyllis & Eberhard, The Complete Book of Erotic Art, N.Y.: Bell Publishing (1978); and Bradley Smith, Erotic Art of the Masters: The 18th, 19th & 20th Centuries, NY: Erotic Art Book Society (1974).]

Hite, Shere. The Hite Report. New York: Dell (1981). [Has a big section on female masturbation.]

"J." The Way to Become the Sensuous Woman. New York: Lyle Stuart (1969). [This was a smash hit during the phase-down of our all-but-too-short sexual revolution. There is an excellent chapter on female masturbation.]

Janus, Samuel S. Ph.D., and Cynthia L. Janus, M.D. The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior. NY: John Wiley (1993). [An excellent survey and report on American sexual habits.]

Kelly, G. Lombard, M.D. Female Masturbation. Inglewood, CA: Banner Books (1966).

Kulliger, J.L. Masturbation, The Art of Self-Enjoyment. Chatsworth, CA: Media Press (1988). [A photo and text publication.]

Larue, Gerald. Sex and the Bible. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books (1983).

Litten, Harold. Solo Sex: Advanced Techniques. Mobile, Ala.: Factor Press (1990). [A good book focusing on male masturbation. Read next listing, also by Litten–]

Litten, Harold. More Joy: An Advanced Guide to Solo Sex. Mobile, AL: Factor Press. [Even more information on male masturbation; a great addition to Litten's first book listed above. Order from Factor Press, PO Box 8888, Mobile, AL 36689. Read Dr. Litten's comments about "Erotic Display"—exhibitionism. You can find it listed in the articles index.]

Maines, Rachel. The Technology of Orgasm. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press (1999). [A fascinating history of the vibrator revealing its early 19th century medical use was to cure women of "hysteria" by inducing an orgasm. Revealing! Read about this title on Johns Hopkins Press website.]

Marcus, Irwin M., M.D., and John L. Francis, M.D. (editors). Masturbation From Infancy to Senescence. New York: International Universities Press (1975). [Medical, psychoanalytical presentation.]

Masters, R.E.L. Sexual Self-Stimulation. Los Angeles: Sherbourne Press (1967). [Scholarly essays.]

Mathews, Harry. Singular Pleasures. Normal, Ill.: Dalkey Archive Press (1993). [Short prose poems which show a variety of people masturbating. Mathews stresses the universality of masturbation and seems to see it as a practice that makes all mankind kindred spirits.]

"Masturbation and the Bible." An essay available at http://www.best.com/~dolphin/mast.shtml [Completely anti-masturbation, pro-bible.]

McElroy, Wendy. XXX: A Woman's Right to Pornography. New York: St. Martin's Press (1995). [A hard-hitting denunciation–written by a woman–of radical feminism's anti- sex and anti-porn position. McElroy instead extols the benefits of porn for women. A powerful book. McElroy is an amazingly intelligent woman. Her newest book is The Reasonable Woman: A Guide to Intellectual Survival (Prometheus, 1998)]

McWilliams, Peter. Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in a Free Society. Los Angeles: Prelude Press (1993). [A massive volume about the stupidity of laws against many "victimless crimes," including many dealing with sexuality. A fun, but also disturbing, book to read.]

Meehl, Joanne H. The Recovering Catholic: Personal Journeys of Women Who Left the Church. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books (1995). [Guilt, shame, negative sex attitudes, second-class citizenship for women–it's all here in the quotes of many women who have taken the big step to leave Catholicism. Some are in other churches, others left faith behind entirely. For example, Margo says on page 108: "Sex (in the eyes of the church) was not for my own joy and pleasure. I didn't even learn how to masturbate until I was 30. It was fabulous! God, what I had been missing!" Recommended reading for Catholics or former Catholics. See also Ranke-Heinemann below.]

Morin, Jack. Men Loving Themselves. San Francisco: Down There Press (1980, 1988). [A beautiful book dealing exclusively with male masturbation. Good artistic photos. Unfortunately, it is currently out of print. Morin, a psychologist, is also the author of Anal Pleasure and Health: A Guide for Men and Women (also issued by Down There Press) which has some interesting observations about the use of anal stimulation during masturbation and other sexual activities.]

Nolte, Dr. Claude and Dr. Dorothy. "Masturbation in Marriage: A Special Kind of Sharing." Sexology, Aug. 1975, p. 48.

Oman, Dr. John P. "Masturbation Can Help Women Respond." Sexology, Feb. 1976, p. 45.

Paley, Maggie. The Book of the Penis. New York: Grove Press (1999). [Everything you ever wanted to know about your - or someone else's - penis is in this book! Fun reading.]

Pally, Marcia. Sex & Sensibility: Reflections on Forbidden Mirrors and the Will to Censor. Hopewell, NJ: Ecco Press (1994). [Presents research which shows that censorship does nothing to solve the social problems censors claim it will. Pally is the founder of Feminists for Free Expression.]

Parrinder, Geoffrey. Sex in the World's Religions. New York: Oxford University Press (1980).

Polaine, Andy. "Pornography, Masturbation and Guilt." [a positive discourse which links porn and masturbation]

Queen, Carol. Exhibitionism for the Shy. San Francisco: Down There Press (1995). [An amazing guide for people who want to get in touch with their sexuality. It will inspire adventurousness, creativity and loads of fun! Sections cover showing off, dressing up and nasty talk. Carol is the star of her own video, "Great Vibrations: An Explicit Consumer Guide to Vibrators." And "Exhibitionism for the Shy" is so good that it rates a special page on this site. You can find it listed in the articles index. Read it!]

Ranke-Heinemann, Uta. Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven: Women, Sexuality and the Catholic Church. New York: Doubleday (1990). [For people hung up with sex because of Christian teachings–particularly Roman Catholics–this is THE book to read. See also When God Was A Woman by Merlin Stone, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (1976) for the archaeologically documented story of Christian attitudes toward women.] See also Meehl above.

Reiss, Ira L. Solving America's Sexual Crisis that originally appeared in 1990 as An End to Shame: Shaping our Next Sexual Revolution. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books. [An excellent resource; highly recommended reading about the nature of our limiting American attitudes toward our sexuality.]

Rhodes, Richard. Making Love: An Erotic Odyssey. New York: Simon & Schuster (1992). [Rhodes, a Pulitzer prize-winner, has penned one of the world's only all-true documentaries of a person's sexuality. He tells all–including how he masturbates, his sexual awakening, intimate relations with women, etc. Very good erotic reading– and informative.]

Richter, Hans. Joys of Masturbation. Palm Springs, CA: Merchandise For Mailers (1982). [A picture book with text that accompanies an explicit video about masturbation.]

Rowan, Edward L., M.D. The Joy of Self-Pleasuring. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus. [Masturbation should be experienced by both men and women for pleasure, Rowan says, not just for release of tension. An enlightened guide!]

Rusbridger, Alan. A Concise History of the Sex Manual. Boston: Faber and Faber (1986). [A fascinating, fun study. Chapter 3, "The Solitary Vice," covers the moralist crusade against masturbation over the years.]

Sarnoff, Suzanne and Irving Sarnoff. Sexual Excitement, Sexual Peace: The Place of Masturbation in Adult Relationships. New York: Evans (1979).

Schwartz, Kit. The Male Member. New York: St. Martin's (1985). [Fun!]

Schwartz, Kit. The Female Member. New York: St. Martin's (1988). [Another fun book from Schwartz–and it's informative in a humorous way.]

Smith, Dennis Craig. The Naked Child: Growing Up Without Shame (Social Nudity: Its Effect on Children). Los Angeles: Elysium Growth Press (1986). [A study which shows social nudism or naturism has no negative effects upon children. Many photos of families in the buff. A scholarly book despite all the photos.]

Stekel, Wilhelm. Auto-erotism: A Psychiatric Study of Onanism and Neurosis. New York: Liveright Publishing (1950–English translation from the German).

Stengers, Jean and Anne Van Neck (translated from German by Kathryn Hoffmann). Masturbation: The History of a Great Terror. New York: Palgrave (St. Martin's Press) (2001). [The story of how the 18th & 19th century medical profession demonized masturbation, and traces of their misinformation still persist to this day. The authors note that there is no medical reason to prohibit masturbation yet doctors did up through much of the 20th century. However, Stengers and Van Neck go too far by excusing the church as being an innocent bystander; the medical quacks wouldn't have had an audience to convince if the church hadn't had an anti-body dogma stretching back 1,700 years. The focus of the book is primarily European but American history is also discussed. Despite its flaws, it's a fascinating account.]

Strage, Mark: The Durable Fig Leaf: A Historical, Cultural, Medical, Social, Literary and Iconographic Account of Man's Relations with his Penis. New York: Morrow (1980). [Another fun title!]

Strossen, Nadine. Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex and the Fight for Women's Rights. New York: Doubleday (1995). [Strossen is director of the ACLU. Her book champions First Amendment rights to the utmost. A feminist's unique perspective on the history of obscenity laws; shows that censorship has long been, and continues to be, used as a tool to repress information vital to women's equality, health, reproductive rights.]

Stubbs, Kenneth Ray. Women of the Light: The New Sacred Prostitute. Larkspur, Calif.: Secret Garden (1994). [A collection of interesting contributions by women whose professions could collectively be termed "sexual healers." One of those is Betty Dodson, quoted in this website. Another is Carol Queen, whose excellent book and video are mentioned above.]

Swift, Rachel. How to Have an Orgasm... As Often as You Want. Carroll & Graf (1993). [A guide for women. See also Barbach, Heiman and Beck in this bibliography.]

Symons, Donald. The Evolution of Human Sexuality. New York: Oxford (1979). [Scholarly but good.]

Szasz, Thomas S., M.D. The Manufacture of Madness: Comparative Study of the Inquisition and the Mental Health Movement. New York: Harper (1970). [Contains an interesting chapter on the 19th century elevation of masturbation from a natural activity to the source of almost all disease and mental illness.]

Tannahill, Reay. Sex in History. New York: Stein and Day (1980).

Taormino, Tristan. The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women. Pittsburgh: Cleis Press (1997). [At last, a guide dedicated to helping adventurous women explore more of their sexual possibilities. Men have long known the joy of anal stimulation; now there's no reason women can't share in that fun as well—either while alone or with a partner.]

Taylor, Mark A. "Sin and Death in Mormon Country: A Latter-day Tragedy." Hustler Magazine, April 1986. [You can find it listed in the articles index.]

Vannoy, Russell. Sex Without Love: A Philosophical Exploration. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books (1980). [Vannoy makes a strong case for bucking the "politically correct" view by espousing the possibility of altogether fulfilling sex without love—sex enjoyed for its own sake. A philosophical approach.]

Winchester, Dr. Joseph. Pulling it Off: Masturbation Practices of 191 Midwestern American Boys. Amsterdam: Acolyte Press (1987). [In the 1960s Dr. Winchester started taping boys' accounts of their own masturbatory experiences and practices. In this book he has extracted the best of those 400 boys' quotes, telling how they first did it, where they do it, what techniques they use, their masturbation partners, etc. Revealing. Rare and hard to find this out-of-print book.]

Woods, Margo. Masturbation, Tantra and Self Love. San Diego, Calif.: Mho and Mho Works (1981). [An Eastern, metaphysical approach to masturbation; very positive presentation written from a woman's perspective.]

Zilbergeld, Bernie, Ph.D. Male Sexuality: A Guide to Sexual Fulfillment. New York: Little Brown (1978). [Contains an enlightened chapter on masturbation.]

Alternatives to theology texts: For those with any interest in pursuing a study of literature which exposes inconsistencies in the Bible, Christian life and religion, the following is a small part of an immense body of information available. If there is sufficient interest, this listing will be expanded in the future and references to other Internet web sites will be added. [See also http://www.infidels.org.]

Allen, Steve. Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion and Morality. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books (1990). [Yes, Steve Allen of television and song-writing fame! He's a humanist.]

Allen, Steve. More Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion and Morality. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus (1993).

Babinski, Edward T. Leaving the Fold: Testimonies of Former Fundamentalists. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books (1995) [Fascinating! Some of these people are still in the church.]

Barker, Dan. Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist. Madison, Wisc: Freedom From Religion Foundation (1992) [The amazing autobiographical story of a 19-year veteran of the evangelical and fundamentalist pulpit. He went from being an evangelist and Christian music writer/performer to a life dedicated to erasing fuzzy thinking and promoting logical examination of Christian teachings. http://infidels.org/org/ffrf]

Coates, James. In Mormon Circles: Gentiles, Jack Mormons and Latter-Day Saints. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing (1991). [Interesting reading about this unusual church. For a real insight into the background of mormonism and some of its aftermath, read the true story thriller The Mormon Murders by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, Signet 1988. Strange..... An even better, more recent and more thorough account of Mormon history is One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church by Richard Abanes (New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2002). See also Laake below.]

Conway, Flo, and Jim Siegelman. Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics and Our Private Lives. New York: Dell Publishing (1984). [A revised and updated edition came out in March 1996. This pair also co-wrote Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change about various sects and cults (N.Y.: Delta, 1979)]

D'Antonio, Michael. Fall From Grace: The Failed Crusade of the Christian Right. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux (1989). [A little too optimistic in my opinion!]

de Waal, Frans. Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (1996). [Primatologist de Waal explores the naturalistic basis for ethics and morals proving that we do not need a supernatural base for making good decisions. Ethical behavior is observable in animals and it is a natural process of evolution–not divine intervention.]

Diamond, Sara. Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right. Boston: South End Press (1989).

Ericson, Edward L. American Freedom and the Radical Right. New York: Ungar (1982).

Graham, Lloyd. Deceptions and Myths of the Bible. New York: Bell Publishing (1975).

Haught, James A. Holy Horrors: An Illustrated History of Religious Murder and Madness. Amherst, NY: Prometheus (1990). [Haught's chronicle of the past 900 years of murder, torture and human suffering imposed by the world's organized religions will sicken you. Untold millions have perished at the hands of our religious leaders and still do today.]

Helms, Randel. Gospel Fictions. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books (1988). [A marvelous look at the synoptic gospels from the viewpoint of the literary critic. Well researched; conclusive evidence of numerous flaws and inconsistencies in the first four books of the New Testament.]

Kahl, Joachim. The Misery of Christianity. Middlesex, England: Penguin (1971). [Translation by N.D. Smith. Originally published in Germany as Das Elend des Christentums, 1968.]

Kaminer, Wendy. Sleeping With Extra-Terrestrials: The Rise of Irrationalism and Perils of Piety. New York: Pantheon Books (1999). [An outstanding study of the gullibility of people, how that tendency affects public policy and why that is a danger to each of us. Fantastic reading.]

Laake, Deborah. Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon Woman's Intimate Diary of Marriage and Beyond. New York: Morrow (1993). [Among other things, Deborah shares how masturbation helped lead her out of the Mormon Church. Since the book was published she has been excommunicated.]

Ledo, Michael. Bible Bloopers. Atlanta: Atlanta Freethought Society (1997). [A well done presentation that totally undermines claims made by Christians about their most important book.]

Leedom, Tim. C. (editor) The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You To Read. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing (1993).

Maccoby, Hyam. The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity. San Francisco: Harper (1986).

McKinsey, C. Dennis. The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books (1995). [The exhaustive resource about contradictions and inconsistencies in the bible. Anyone who reads just 50 pages of this work will never have any confidence in the "bible is an inspired book" argument.] Dennis also used to publish the monthly "Biblical Errancy" newsletter. Another excellent resource for discussions about biblical errors can be found in Ferrell Till's fantastic former bi-monthly magazine, The Skeptical Review. Back issues are available at http://www.theskepticalreview.com. The site also features ongoing debates. Till, a former Church of Christ minister, has his autobiographical story published in Babinski's book (listed above).

Miles, Austin. Don't Call Me Brother: A Ringmaster's Escape From The Pentecostal Church (Assemblies of God). Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books (1989). [Fascinating autobiography]

Paine, Thomas. The Age of Reason. [many editions available]

Porteous, Skipp. Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore: From Fundamentalist to Freedom Writer. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books (1991). [A former Four-Square Pentecostal preacher now fights for First Amendment rights and helps lead others out of fundamentalism.]

Reed, David A. Blood on the Altar: Confessions of a Jehovah's Witness Minister. Amherst, NY: Prometheus (1996). [Shocking exposé of this dangerous outfit.]

Spong, John Shelby. Why Christianity Must Change or Die. San Francisco: Harper (1998). [This is a remarkable book written by the Episcopalian bishop of New Jersey. Spong admits that science and the spread of knowledge have made belief in a theistic God impossible. He views the Bible as an interesting account filled with myth, inaccuracies and rash statements–many of which have no relevance to modern people. Although most fellow chirstians probably curse Spong, he is a rare (for church people) and genuine breath of fresh air in this modern age.]

Swomley, John M. Religious Liberty and the Secular State: The Constitutional Context. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus (1987). [This short book written by a retired theology professor and ACLU board member counters the claims by conservatives that this country was founded as a Christian nation. Swomley convincingly shows that the founding fathers envisioned a strictly secular state.]

Watters, Wendell W., M.D. Deadly Doctrine: Health, Illness and Christian God-Talk. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books (1992). ["Caution: Christianity may be hazardous to your health!" Dr. Watters develops a case that shows Christianity may be harmful to human development in such areas as self-esteem, sexuality and social interactions. The tragic end result of Christian conditioning is too often antisocial behavior, sexual dysfunction, poor psychological development, anxiety and even major psychiatric illness.]

For web sources (including complete text of hundreds of freethought books), check out "The Secular Web" at http://www.infidels.org. It's a splendid site with links to dozens of other great sites.