One of the most basic--and ancient--forms of birth control is the condom. Utilized by all cultures for millennia, and referred to by many colorful euphemisms--baudruche, preservativo, machine, peau divine, rubber, and safety--it has featured in the lives, loves, and letters of some of the most famous men in history. Shakespeare, Casanova, George Bernard Shaw, to mention only a few, all appreciated and wrote about the importance of using "preventatives." Aine Collier provides a unique glimpse into human sexual habits, customs, beliefs, and attitudes in this first history of the prophylactic device that goes back to at least the ancient Egyptians. As she amply demonstrates, the story of this humble piece of paraphernalia is full of intriguing insights into human character with all its flaws and foibles as well as many fascinating historical details. Thoroughly researched yet presented in a witty, enjoyable style that will keep you turning the page for more, The Humble Little Condom is both an entertaining read and an educational, impeccably researched popular history.

Papyrus, serpents, and loincloths : the ancients and the condom -- From sex for "delit" to the great pox : love in early modern Europe -- Le male de Naples, la mal françois, las bubas, or the Venetian disease : Columbus and the great pox -- May prick nor purse never fail you : parliamentarians, poets, pundits, and provenance -- Medical arguments against armour and a case of caveat emptor : doctors, debates, debauchees, and the Mrs. P's -- The most famous, and infamous, users of all : the celebrity overcoat -- Malthus, skins, and dead letters : the West's culture wars -- A one-man fight against the condom : the American Civil War and Comstockery -- Obscenity laws, American tips, and French ticklers : Was there an English Comstock? -- "The nineteenth century's greatest invention" : muckrakers, moral armour, and the Great War -- Nookie in the struggle buggy : all that jazz and the age of advertising -- Brother, can you spare a dime ... for a rubber? : the Great Depression -- Victory ... will ride on the rubber you save : the war years -- Backseat bingo with my classy chassis : let's get it on! : from baby boom to modern plague -- Abstain was all he said : in the age of AIDS -- Epilogue : plenty of condoms, no water : the new millennium.