Acknowledgments

Writing this book was at turns joyous, maddening, hilarious, and inspiring. These are some of the people who helped me on the way.

I couldn’t have asked for a better editor than Iris Blasi at Pegasus Books, who shepherded my project from dissertation to book. From the beginning, she not only understood the type of story I was trying to tell, but perhaps even more important, why the story needed to be told. Her skill was invaluable in shaping my book.

Thanks also to Torrey Sharp for creating an amazing book cover design that perfectly conveys the message of the book. Designer Sabrina Plomitallo-González carried the theme throughout the pages of the book in a clever, beautiful way. Copyeditor Mary Hern’s and proofreader Andrea Monagle’s work was much appreciated.

My agent, Lydia Shamah, took a chance on me and provided much guidance throughout the process of writing a proposal and finding a publisher. The Carol Mann Agency also provided me with a lot of support.

Without the kindness generosity of the sexual pioneers who spent endless hours with me, telling their stories, I would not have been able to write this book. They opened up their archives for me and were willing to answer any questions I had. I hope this book does their stories justice. Thanks to Chad, Erica, and Ron Braverman of Doc Johnson; Brian Robinson, owner of the Pleasure Chest; Sarah Tomchesson, Walter Fallon, and Chris Cherrie, also of the Pleasure Chest; Joani Blank and Carol Queen of Good Vibrations; Susie Bright, sexpert extraordinaire, founder of On Our Backs, former manager of Good Vibrations; Betty Dodson, masturbation & vibrator advocate, artist, iconoclast; Gosnell Duncan, inventor of the silicone dildo and disability advocate; David Sturman, erotic store owner and son of Reuben; Farley Malorrus of United Sales; Dell Williams, founder of Eve’s Garden; Shay Martin, founder of Vibratex, and Eddie Romero, also of Vibratex; Phil Harvey, founder of Adam & Eve and DKT; and David Keegan of Adam &Eve.

Metis Black, founder of Tantus Silicone, introduced me to Gosnell Duncan’s incredible story and encouraged me to contact him. Duncan’s niece Lurline Martineau was incredibly kind. She opened his home to me, explained his sex-toy making process, and gifted his archives to me.

Kjerstin Johnson, then editor-in-chief of Bitch, published my story on Duncan and gave me my first “yes” after an endless string of “no”s. This gave me the hope I needed to continue.

Thanks to my advisor Dr. Stephen Vaughn at the University of Wisconsin– Madison for letting me study sex toys for my dissertation, and for introducing me to Ralph Ginzburg’s Papers at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Dr. William Reese, also at the University of Wisconsin, has always encouraged my research.

Thanks to all the archivists and librarians who gave me invaluable help and turned me on to so many different collections. Alison L. Oswald, Kay Peterson, Franklin Robinson, and Mallory Warner at Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History tracked down all manner of amazing artifacts and documents hidden in the collections and made my experience at the Smithsonian not only incredibly fruitful for my research but also incredibly fun during the summer I spent as a Lemelson Fellow. Brenda J. Marston at Cornell University helped me discover all the gems within Dell Williams’s and Susie Bright’s Papers while I was Phil Zwickler grant recipient. Micaela Sullivan-Fowler at University of Wisconsin–Madison found all the weird vibrator brochures for me in their collections. Elizabeth Ihrig at the Bakken Museum and Library shared her knowledge of the rich vibrator collections during my time there as a Bakken Travel Grant Recipient. Shawn Wilson at Kinsey Institute was unbelievably patient and even tracked down an eight-pager in the stacks to check punctuation. Dr. Debby Herbenick at Indiana University shared her endless knowledge on sexual health with me, supported this project from the beginning, and helped me navigate the Kinsey Institute’s collection. Amber Dushman at the American Medical Association and Selina Hurley at the Science Museum also took the time to help me with my research. Lindsay Morse shared her expertise with Ancient Greek and Latin sources, which was invaluable.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison supported me with multiple grants that allowed me to focus on my research while I was writing my dissertation.

Allison Murray shared her encyclopedic knowledge of popular culture, was willing to answer my questions at all hours of the day, and always encouraged me and alleviated my anxieties. Rachel Lenerz has always been there for me, supported me when I was at my lowest, and boosted my confidence.

Thanks to my uncle Dr. Michael D. Lieberman, who inspired me with his ability to talk without embarrassment about the human body in all its weirdness.

Special thanks to Eric Schatzberg for being my boyfriend, one of the most difficult tasks in the world. He believed in me even when the rest of the world didn’t.

Thanks to my parents, Ann and Erik Lieberman, for being incredibly supportive, both emotionally and financially. They gave me the greatest gift in the world: the confidence that I could be anything I wanted to be.

Lulu and Miss Yvonne gave all the love.

Finally, thanks to everybody in the sex-toy industry who was willing to withstand personal criticism in order to follow their dreams of making the world a better place.