Max Bauer (1861 - 1932), a publicist primarily known for his writings on cultural history, has dedicated this work to the sexual life in early German history. The handling of sexuality and physical allure has always been accompanied by taboos and feelings of shame. This makes the book all the more interesting, as it vividly illuminates the customs and habits related to this topic in monasteries, at bathing lakes, in married life, and much more. This is a carefully revised reprint of the second edition from 1902.