Description: Joan of Arc was one. So was Sir Isaac Newton. A monk vows to be one. A prisoner has no choice. History tells of many avowed celibates, and today's society reflects a renewed interest in celibacy. But what causes people to give up sex, the very activity that drives, fascinates, troubles, and delights the rest of us?

Elizabeth Abbott's provocative and entertaining exploration of celibacy debunks the traditionally held notion that celibacy is a predominantly religious concept that is of little concern to the secular world. Chosen or imposed for myriad reasons, celibacy actually is a practice that reveals a host of telling insights about our sexual desires and drives, as well as our changing attitudes toward religion, gender, and physical health. A History of Celibacy humanizes celibacy through the ages, from the vestal virgins of ancient Rome who were entombed alive if they broke their vows to contemporary athletes who "conserve semen" to enhance their game.

What didn't happen in the bedrooms of history, and why? Through a series of "illuminating and erudite" (The Montreal Gazette) stories of individual lives, A History of Celibacy tells all.

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