Most English girls lose their virginity by the age of 16. Is that a good thing? Is female virginity still praised as it was in earlier times? What's the point of it anyhow? Does it matter? The author reviews the attitudes to female virginity, discussing the behaviour of both the ancient and the modern. He suggests that the present-day approach to an early, if not casual, surrender by woman of her virginity is open to abuse and that modern woman - and indeed society - might profit by a more restrained approach to underage sex. Amongst the matters considered by the author are religious attitudes to virginity and the increasingly popular debate concerning infibulations and excisions of the clitoris. The ravages of feminist fire have burnt out the virginity of British young girls. It is time for it to be reborn, phoenix-like.

Is there a particular English attitude to sex? What makes it? Is it good? Is it bad? How has it changed? And what of the future? When it comes to our sexual instincts, much more than in any other field of human activity, the importance of our psychological heritage is paramount. This book suggests that there is both confusion and constraint, aggravated by grey skies and a rapidly developing multiracial society - compounded by an uneven historical, cultural, religious and educational background. Richard Goodall reviews English sexual trends from the 17th century to the first decade of the third millennium, citing the most recent statistical data. The reader will be surprised by some of his conclusions.