Aphrodisia

Contains index of artists.

A rare marinal about disguised identities and loves among the Greco-Roman deities under the Mediterranean Sea. Percy described Aphrodisia as an experiment in a new genre he was inventing, the marinal, designed to contrast the pastoral set on land in the countryside. Beyond this setting, this comedy focuses on taking to an extreme the popular European trope of disguises by having most of the main characters reveal themselves to have an identity other than the one they present themselves as. Arion relates a sad story that is an original translation of a segment out of Bartas’ Weeks about him being a poor singer who was captured by pirates, but in the conclusion, Arion reveals himself to actually be Jupiter, the King of the gods in Roman mythology. And Talus pretends to be an engineer and Vulcan’s (god of fire) son, when he is really Neptune (god of water). In standard published plots from the Renaissance, these revelations prove to have been necessary to further the goals of the characters, but in this censored story, the disguises cause lifetimes of misery and prevent all who are disguised from achieving their romantic and power goals. Percy has designed a plot that subversively shows how common pseudonyms and fraudulent identities are in British society, as it confesses the Workshop’s role in selling ghostwriting services. On the surface, the story is dense with innovative love entanglements, and the mythological misadventures of complex and stumbling characters. The preparations for Empress Cytherea’s arrival and the Aphrodisia feast in her honor also showcases realistic details about what a day might have been like when the aristocratic Percy family prepared for James I’s visit to their Sion House on June 8, 1603, just before James was crowned. “Fascinating study of disguise, identity, self-fashioning, metamorphosis, and authorship. *****” —LibraryThing, Early Reviewers, Charles Alan Ralston Plot and Staging Text Terms, References, Questions, Exercises

A book of make-your-own aphrodisiacs with ingredients and recipes to create a variety of love-enhancing elixirs, tinctures, oils, and edibles, all illustrated with original photography by authors.

Testosterone has inspired dreams—of restored youth, recharged sexual appetites, faster running, quicker thinking, bigger muscles—since it was first synthesized in 1935. This provocative book investigates the complex, bizarre, and sometimes outrageous history of synthetic testosterone and other male hormone therapies. Exploring many little-known social arenas—both inside and outside the medical world—in which these substances are becoming increasingly available and accepted, Testosterone Dreams examines the implications and dangers of their use in professional sports, in the workplace, in our sex lives, and beyond. Testosterone Dreams tells the story of testosterone's growing and sometimes concealed influence in our culture over the past 70 years. It explores such controversial topics as the invention and marketing of the male menopause, the disturbing history of hormonal and other medical treatments aimed at boosting or suppressing women's sexuality, and hormone doping in sporting events such as the Tour de France and the Olympics, and in Major League Baseball. It brings to light the hidden use of hormone doping by policemen, soldiers, and other workers in a variety of jobs. It also discusses the burgeoning steroid use in the gay community and its relation to AIDS, and takes a hard look at the pharmaceutical industry's promotional campaigns to create new markets for testosterone products. Testosterone Dreams is the first book to bring together the whole story of testosterone and to consider its social and ethical implications: Where does therapy end and performance enhancement begin? How are changing medical technologies affecting how we think about our identities as men and women and the elusive goal of "well-being"? This book will be essential reading as we move inexorably toward the wide-open, libertarian pharmacology that is now making these drug regimes available to a wider and wider clientele.

Who needs performance enhancing prescriptions and their unwanted side effects when there are natural yet powerful ways to create sensuality in your love life? Many aphrodisiac foods throughout the centuries have been used to stimulate sexual desire and fertility as they are packed full of vitamins, and release chemicals to the brain that boost the libido. Couples can enjoy greater sexual satisfaction by partaking in foods that engages all senses and increases the desire for lovemaking. The recipes in Aphrodisia are simple and easy to follow and the food serving rituals chapter offers creative ideas for couples to impart into meal sharing. Christina Drake is the author of Cooking in High Heels; she is a mistress in the kitchen when it comes to preparing easy yet glamorous dishes. She believes that today's modern woman can have it all and still maintain her beauty, grace and glitter.

Three women discover irresistible passion in the arms of a trio of dark and dangerous lovers, in an erotic anthology of paranormal romances that includes "The Demon Lord's Cloak" by Delilah Devlin, "Night Sins" by Lisa Renee Jones, Megan Kerans's "The Devil's Paradise." Original.