Name/TitleOur Bodies Ourselves
EditionFirst British Edition
MakerBoston Women's Health Book Collective
MakerPhillips, Angela & Rakusen, Jill
Maker RoleEditor
About this objectPaperback book (592 pages) titled 'Our Bodies Ourselves' by The Boston Women's Health Book Collective with new material by Angela Phillips and Jill Rakusen; first British edition, fully revised. Contents as follows:
- Preface to the UK Edition
- A Good Story
- Anatomy and Physiology of Sexuality and Reproduction
- Sexuality
- Living with Ourselves and Others - Our Sexual Relationships
- Lesbian Perspectives (by a group of socialist lesbians in London)
- Taking Care of Ourselves
- Common Medical and Health Problems, Traditional and Alternative Treatments
- Violence
- Birth Control
- Abortion and Unwanted Pregnancies
- Considering Parenthood
- Pregnancy
- Childbirth
- After the Baby Is Born
- Some Exceptions in Pregnancy and Childbirth
- The Menopause
- Women and Health Care
- Index
Medium and MaterialsOrganic, paper
MeasurementsH: 210 x W: 147 x D: 29 mm
Date Made1978
Period1970s
PublisherPenguin Books
Publication Date1978
Publication PlaceEngland, Middlesex
PublisherPenguin Books
Publication Date1971
Publication PlaceUSA, New York
Subject and Association Descriptionhttps://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/our-story:
In May of 1969, as the women’s movement was gaining momentum, a group of women in Boston met during a “female liberation conference” at Emmanuel College. In a workshop on “Women and Their Bodies,” they shared their experiences with doctors and their frustration at how little they knew about how their bodies worked.
The discussions were so provocative and fulfilling that they formed the Doctor’s Group, the forerunner to the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, to find out more about their bodies, their lives, their sexuality and relationships, and to talk with each other about what they learned.
They decided to put their knowledge into an accessible format that could be shared and would serve as a model for women to learn about themselves, communicate their findings with doctors, and challenge the medical establishment to change and improve the care that women receive.
In 1970, they worked with the New England Free Press to publish a 193-page course book on stapled newsprint titled “Women and Their Bodies.” The book was revolutionary for its frank talk about sexuality and abortion, which was then illegal. The cost: 75 cents.
In 1971, they changed the title to “Our Bodies, Ourselves” to emphasize women taking full ownership of their bodies. The book quickly became an underground success, selling 225,000 copies, mainly by word-of-mouth. The cost this time around: 30 cents.
In 1972, after strenuous debate, the group of founding authors decided to publish with a mainstream publisher in order to reach a wider audience. They formally incorporated as the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective and negotiated a contract with Simon & Schuster that included a 70 percent clinic discount for low-income women and provision for a U.S. Spanish translation.
Subject and Association KeywordsWomen's healthcare
Subject and Association Keywordsfemale relationships - sexual
Subject and Association Keywordspregnancy & motherhood
Subject and Association Keywordssex, sexuality
Subject and Association KeywordsConsciousness (awareness) raising
Named CollectionGlasgow Women's Library
Object TypeBook
ISBN/ISSN0 14 00.4430 2
Object numberGWL-2022-90-1
Spine LabelOur Bodies Ourselves: a health book by and for women
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved