HARLOTS, WHORES & HACKABOUTS

An indispensable journey through the history of sex for sale

Author: Kate Lister Publisher Thames & Hudson Price £25 Released Out now

The history of sex for sale has, by its very nature, long been shrouded in mystery, with those who were at its centre shoved into the shadows and dismissed. In Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts, Kate Lister turns the spotlight back on the people who made history in their own way, bringing them vividly back to life. No longer caricatures, victims or faceless cyphers to be used by moral crusaders, Lister positions the sex workers firmly at the heart of this narrative.

Taking a chronological approach, Lister is an able guide through centuries of history, from ancient Mesopotamia all the way up to the present day. Along the way she introduces the reader to the “harlots, whores and hackabouts” who populated each era. It is a journey that takes in the whole world, peopled by a cast of fascinating, complex and undeservedly marginalised characters.

Lister is an engaging and authoritative writer who opens up a world that has been hidden to many, and Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts invites readers to set sensation and tabloid headlines aside. She reveals a history filled with stigma and oppression, in which discussion has all too often forgotten, stereotyped and dismissed the sex workers themselves. In this important new work, they are the whole story.

Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts is without doubt a marvellous book. It is richly illustrated with photographs, artefacts and other materials, and is a handsome and colourful volume in every sense. Engaging, readable and written with humour, compassion and sensitivity, it deserves to be read.