BOOKS

GREEK LOVE by J. Z. Eglinton, Oliver Layton Press, New York, 1964, 504 pages, $12.95.

We can only speculate on why we should now have this excellent book on the subject of sexual relations between men and boys. One might suppose that it reflects a growing interest in sex of all types and that it reflects a change in attitude toward sex on the part of the general population.

It is interesting that, as usual, it has taken a layman to do what we had a right to expect experts to do. But once we have considered the foregoing, it must be said that Dr. Albert Ellis was right on at least one point he made in his postscript to this book:

"Greek Love is a truly remarkable work... the only comprehensive work in any language, to my knowledge, that unequivocally espouses the right of an older male to have social-sexual

that

relations with a young boy. . . . It is sober, scholarly, and both figuratively and literally a weighty tract ranges far and wide through the byways of history, sociology, psychology, and literature to unearth and present a massive amount of material on Greek love. Quite aside from its polemic nature, it manages to amass between its covers more primary and secondary data on this interesting subject than any other work."

Eglinton first answers the arguments that anonymous critics have leveled against such sex acts and a

book on such acts. He then discusses the problems involved, lists and considers the parts of the Bible usually cited to prove such acts sinful, discusses the laws and such authors as Hirschfeld, who have published work in the field of man-boy sex. He then points out the good that can come to both the adult and the boy from Greek love and lists possible varieties of the sexual act. He gives case histories of affairs successful and unsuccessful, and concludes that in the unsuccessful relationships, the fact that the affair ended hurt the child rather than helped him.

The ages of the boys considered by Eglinton in this book are from 12 to 17. He concludes that a boy younger is incapable of benefiting from such an affair, and a boy older should already have entered the sexual life of his own age group.

Documentation on acceptance or rejection of Greek love in world history is given. Facts concerning this kind of love in Greece are brought out which contradict ideas commonly held today. Eglinton believes there was little Greek love in Ancient Rome or in the Middle ages. He believes that it came back into being with the Renaissance. We are shown it in Shakespeare's sonnets as well as in the works of Ancient Greece.

A glance at the index and bibliography and footnotes to this work will reveal its admirable thoroughness.

W.E.G.

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