Widely accepted as the world s first sex therapist, Dr James Graham set out to bring the sublime into the sex life of every married couple. He guaranteed both ecstasy and fertility to the users of his infamous Celestial Bed, a contraption which harnessed all the most exciting developments of the Enlightenment. Electricity, magnetism, mind-altering gases and music all played a part in this astonishing invention, luxuriously designed to impart exquisite pleasure and produce perfect babies. Graham's medical career took him from his native Edinburgh to America and back again, and he crossed paths with many of the most famous individuals of his day. The doctor's well-publicized efforts to overturn medical orthodoxy provoked both admiration and ridicule. He was crowned the King of Quacks. 'Doctor of Love' is the first comprehensive biography of James Graham.
Doctor of Love: James Graham and His Celestial Bed
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'Syson pins the iconoclastic Graham like a butterfly on the wider canvas of a lively social history.' --The Times
'I had almost written off James Graham as a kind of 18th century urban myth - and was therefore entranced by Lydia Syson's superb volume devoted to 'The Emperor of Quacks'… she disentangles the puffery from the physics… Syson combines a sure grasp of intellectual history with enough awareness of just how much fun her story is.' --Scotland on Sunday
'An engaging dash around the credulous and curious world of Enlightenment medicine.' -- TLS
'Syson s enthralling book offers a new portrait of Graham as an authentic innovator... [An] admirable and engaging book.' --The Guardian
'Wordsworth gave us the egotistic sublime, and Graham the sexual sublime; Lydia Syson has given us a highly enjoyable peep from behind the partition at one of the eighteenth century s weirdest and most wonderful figures.' --Literary Review
'I had almost written off James Graham as a kind of 18th century urban myth - and was therefore entranced by Lydia Syson's superb volume devoted to 'The Emperor of Quacks'… she disentangles the puffery from the physics… Syson combines a sure grasp of intellectual history with enough awareness of just how much fun her story is.' --Scotland on Sunday
'An engaging dash around the credulous and curious world of Enlightenment medicine.' -- TLS
'Syson s enthralling book offers a new portrait of Graham as an authentic innovator... [An] admirable and engaging book.' --The Guardian
'Wordsworth gave us the egotistic sublime, and Graham the sexual sublime; Lydia Syson has given us a highly enjoyable peep from behind the partition at one of the eighteenth century s weirdest and most wonderful figures.' --Literary Review
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By MJ
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
James Graham was known in his day as the 'Emperor of Quacks'. His medical career was certainly unconventional and his personal style was flamboyant and often shamelessly theatrical; but his writings, which are full of passionate conviction, make it clear that he was no cynical mountebank.
Doctor of Love paints by far the most detailed picture of Graham to date, and sifts through the hyperbole and caricature to illuminate his idiosyncratic medical philosophy. Although parts of his life remain obscure, Syson has assembled an impressive quantity of archival material and set it against a richly detailed depiction of Georgian London. A very enjoyable read.
Doctor of Love paints by far the most detailed picture of Graham to date, and sifts through the hyperbole and caricature to illuminate his idiosyncratic medical philosophy. Although parts of his life remain obscure, Syson has assembled an impressive quantity of archival material and set it against a richly detailed depiction of Georgian London. A very enjoyable read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Vicar
Format:Hardcover
Any book that acquires the tags georgian erotica and history of ideas has covered all the important bases in my opinion. This is a beautifully written, fascinatingly eclectic, off-beat, revealing and entertaining biography. Lydia Syson has pulled off a rare trick in writing it. Highly recommended.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you want to indulge yourself in the rich textures, putrid smells, strange ideas, and dramatic emotions of 18th Century Britain, then how better than to read Lydia Syson's fantastic book. And what a way to get there - through the extraordinary life of the first sex doctor. This is a wonderful book and a stimulating read. It is meticulously researched, and is an exploration, not just of Graham, but of the most bizarre scientific ideas and the sheer wackiness of the eighteenth century mind. You will feel you are there.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Electrifying!
James Graham, an 18th century medical doctor who specialized in sexual health, was not only original but ahead of his time in many respects. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cari Hislop
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful and engaging book
This is a great read. Lydia Syson manages to combine well researched detail with engaging storytelling to draw the reader into the astonishing world of James Graham while giving a... Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2011 by bedhead4
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