Sex among the Rabble: An Intimate History of Gender and Power in the Age of Revolution, Philadelphia, 1730-1830 (Published for the Omohundro Institute ... History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia)
"Important and comprehensive . . . likely to become the major point of reference for anyone studying sexual practices and gender politics during the founding of the American republic."--Eighteenth-Century Life"No summary of Lyons' argument can communicate the richness of her data or the subtlety with which she wields it."--Journal of American History"This fascinating and well-written book describes the making of a 'vibrant pleasure culture' in Philadelphia. . . . Lyons tells a rich story, one full of surprises. . . . An intriguing book that merits a wide audience."--American Historical Review"An impressive scholarly accomplishment. . . . So engaging and intriguing that, after four hundred pages, the reader wants more."--Historian"Masters the unstable terrain of sexualities and power relations, and gives readers a new, compelling, and politically significant way to understand the transformations underway in the age of revolutions."--Journal of the Early Republic"[A] bold, wide-ranging, and deeply researched book. . . . Refreshingly, it places at the center of analysis the issues of desire and pleasure. . . . The heroes of this book are lusty women shaping their own destinies, satisfying their desires, and pursuing sexual pleasure. . . . Placing provocative interpretations on the table, [it] succeeds admirably."--Journal of Interdisciplinary History"Summarizing this book does not do justice to its rich detail, attention to race and class, effort to link culture and practice, and fine writing. The amount and quality of information is staggering. . . . With abounding detail it unearths valuable material."--William and Mary Quarterly"Social history of the highest quality."--Early American Literature"Masterful."--Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography"Lyons skillfully crafts a book exploring the evolution of power in colonial and early American Philadelphia. . . . [Sex Among the Rabble] includes both a convincing thesis and compelling stories."--Teaching History