This little 4"x6" book
has over 450 pages, full of photographs and illustrations.  In its twelve main chapters, it surveys all
sorts of ideas and depictions of breasts, discussing their role in history and
in different cultures.  It
lightheartedly examines breast size and shape, breast feeding, puberty, bras,
cosmetic surgery, nipples, eroticism, pin-ups, breasts in the military, breasts
in art, breasts and touching, and breasts in nature.  They layout is done very nicely, and the pictures have been
selected very carefully.  The text
accompanying the images is brief yet informative.  This is by no means a scholarly work, yet it is clear that much
thought has gone into its creation, and there is bound to be something new for
all readers.  One author, Maura Spiegel,
is a professor of English at Barnard and Columbia, while the other, Lithe
Sebasta, is a journalist.  The Breast
Book is amusing and interesting — the kind of book that makes a good gift.

© 2003 Christian Perring. All rights reserved.

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor
of Metapsychology Online Review. His main research is on philosophical
issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: Sexuality, ArtAndPhotography