Books About Eunuchs

[An Onymus (imported)]

As I have primarily a historical and sociological interest in the Archive, my view is, that those who visit the Archive should be aware of some of the books which are available which treat the subject of eunuchism.

Many of those who visit this site probably know of and have read one or more of these. I have to apologize for not having the authors' names for all of them, or even the full title of one, but someone interested in any of the books mentioned, could probably find more detailed in formation about them. I think these were all published in their latest editions after 1970.

THE EUNUCH AND THE VIRGIN by Peter Tompkins. This is

considered a classic on the subject, and has been stolen from many

libraries which once had it.

THE GOLDEN TRADE OF THE MOORS by Bovill. This is another

classic in its field, and is a history of the Sahara and the lands

which border it. There are interesting sections on the trade in

eunuch slaves, and on the two eunuch military leaders who

conquered the western sudan for Morocco.

THE EUNUCHS OF MING CHINA. This a good account of the period,

and includes an interesting section on self-castrated eunuchs, of

whom there were apparently thousands in China at the time. The

only place I ever saw it was at the library of the University of

Calgary.

NEITHER MAN NOR WOMAN by Serena Nanda. This is an account

of a hijrah community in an unnamed city in India, probably in

northern India. It includes descriptions of lifestyles, traditional

eunuch making practices, chela-guru, relationships, etc.

THE INVISIBLES by Zia Jaffra. This is also about the hijras, but

it details the character of a hijra community in southern India,

and places more emphasis on the history of hijras, and their place

in Indian society.

EUNUCHS AND SACRED BOUNDARIES. This is only the first part

of the title. The book describes how eunuchs were used as

guardians in certain ways in traditional Islamic society.

THE CASTRATO. This is a novel about the seventeenth century,

tracing the life of one singer. I never read it, but a girl who did,

said the treatment was sensitive and sympathetic. Where I saw

it, was the main city library in Santa Monica.

This is only a sampling of the many books which treat the subject of eunuchism

[JesusA (imported)]

The Nonfiction Board has reviews of a number of books and articles about eunuchs and castration. There are also full texts of some shorter works that are otherwise very difficult to find, even in large university libraries.

There are (as of today) 157 threads on the Nonfiction Board, the majority of which relate directly to published materials. I will try to put an index of the board together if I ever find the time. (At the bottom of the list of recent threads on the board select to view "From the Beginning" to see the full listing.)

ALL members of the Archive are encouraged to submit reviews of books and articles concerning castration and eunuchs to the Nonfiction Board. Book notes and article references are also encouraged. A book note gives full publication information (so that others can find it) and a paragraph or two about why the work is of interest. A full-fledged review gives a more thorough discussion and trys to put the work into the larger context of other materials that have been published. There are still a great many works of interest out there that have not YET been put on the Nonfiction Board.

Of the books An Onymus lists, The Eunuch and the Virgin, by Peter Tompkins, has yet to have a review. It is certainly worthy of one, though it is one of the school of "golly, gee whiz" histories that dump a lot of fascinating facts together (most of them true, but many of them not) and call it a history. The same genre includes The Keeper of the Bed, by Charles Humana (pseud.), and A Brief History of Castration, by Victor T. Cheney. All three of these books still need reviews.

Castration: An Abbreviated History of Western Manhood, by Gary Taylor has a lot of the "golly, gee whiz" about it, but it is an attempt by a very well-known literary scholar to explain an early 17th century play where castration plays a central role.

Much better general histories are Eunuchs and Castrati, by Piotr Scholz and Eunuchs in Antiquity and Beyond, edited by Shaun Tougher. Sholz is one of the best historians of ancient Egypt, but he is sometimes a bit out of his depth with this book. There are (mostly) trivial errors scattered through it. Tougher is a respected historian of late antiquity, who has written extensively on eunuchs of the period. He even teaches a university course on eunuchs and castration in the ancient world. There are reviews of both books on the Nonfiction Board.

The Golden Trade of the Moors, has only a brief section devoted to eunuchs and castration, but deserves a Book Note, at the very least. Maybe An Onymus can find the time to produce one for the rest of us to enjoy.

There are a number of interesting works on Chinese eunuchs. The book by that title written by Taisuke Mitamura would be a good starting point. The Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty, by Shih-shan Henry Tsai (listed by An Onymus) is excellent, as is Hidden Power: The Palace Eunuchs of Imperial China, by Mary M. Anderson.

For the Hijra of India, Serena Nanda’s book Neither Man Nor Woman is certainly the best written. It is a frequent textbook for introductory courses in anthropology and is in at least its second edition in inexpensive paperback. It’s definitely highly recommended. I have yet to read Zia Jaffra’s The Invisibles, though I have heard very good things about it. There is a brief book note on The Life Style of the Eunuchs, by Shingala Vyas on the Nonfiction Board. It is a master’s thesis on the hijra done at the Faculty of Social Work of Baroda University in India.

There is a review of Eunuchs and Sacred Boundaries in Islamic Society, by Shaun Marmon as well as of Eunuchs, Caliphs and Sultans: A Study of Power Relationships, by David Ayalon on the Nonfiction Board. Both are excellent for the role of eunuchs in the Middle East.

The Castrato is one of three novels relating to castrati that appeared almost simultaneously, and is probably the least interesting of the set. The other two are Cry to Heaven, by Anne Rice and The Alteration by Kingsley Amis. All three need good reviews on the board. Patrick Barbier’s The World of the Castrati is still the best history of the period, though The Manly Masquerade: Masculinity, Paternity, and Castration in the Italian Renaissance, by Valeria Finucci adds important additional iformation about the period. [I will be posting a review of Finucci’s book soon.]

An Onymus misses the Skoptzy of Russia and Romania as a subject. There is a review of Castration and the Heavenly Kingdom: A Russian Folktale, by Laura Engelstein on the Nonfiction Board as well as some other brief notes about them. If there is any Archive member who reads French more easily than I do and would like to do a review, we certainly need one for La castration chez l’homme: recherches sur les adeptes d’une secte d’eunuques mystiques, les Skoptzy, by Eugene Pittard. It was published in 1934 in volume 6 of Archives suisses d’anthropologie generale, (pp. 213 – 536).

Please consider adding your own reviews and notes to the Nonfiction Board. If you know of a work that deserves review, but are reluctant to write it yourself, please send me a Personal Message with enough information that I can find a copy to review. I would like to see the board as a permanent resource for those interested in published works on castration and eunuchs.

[An Onymus (imported)]

I guess I just failed to look far enough back in the nonfiction listings, and didn't realize what was there. Jesus obviously has the matter of literature about eunuchs well in hand, and I tip my hat to him (or would, if I wore a hat.) One thing which might be researched (if it hasn't been already) is whether there is a published biography of Judar Pasha, who was one of the most gifted eunuch military leaders in history.

[John Crinnion (imported)]

I guess I just failed to look far enough back in the nonfiction listings, and didn't realize what was there. Jesus obviously has the matter of literature about eunuchs well in hand, and I tip my hat to him (or would, if I wore a hat.) One thing which might be researched (if it hasn't been already) is whether there is a published biography of Judar Pasha, who was one of the most gifted eunuch military leaders in history.

Do not forget "The Jewel in the Lotus"

[Dok (imported)]

Hi Jesus,

Wanted to let you know that I am publishing my second book, Castration: Tha Advantages and Disadvantages, to be released by 1stBooks.com in December. It deals mostly with the physical effects of surgical castration. Many more positive than negative in my opinion. I have posted the Table of Contents in the Non-Fiction Forum.

On another note, I was glad to see you were aware of my first book, The History of Castration, but was a little suprised to see your clam that it contained many errors, "

lot of fascinating facts together (most of them true, but many of them not).

"

Please enlighten, me as I have tried very hard to seperate the truth from the fiction in my research and only include information that I can substanciate from reliable sources.

Cordially,

Victor T. Cheney

mjc

[Paolo]

Well, no offense, Mr. Cheney, but I thought that I read somewhere that you were dead!

Glad to see you're alive and kickin'!

[Dok (imported)]

Humm,

I think the reports of my death have been greatly exagerated.

No offense taken though. 8^ )

[Andrew (imported)]

Humm,

I think the reports of my death have been greatly exagerated.

No offense taken though. 8^ )

Are these the same "books" you used to publish at $35 each?

[JesusA (imported)]

Mr. Cheney,

It’s good to see you looking happy and healthy. It’s been far too long since I read your book for me to be able to give a quick reply. My recollection is that you made uncritical use of too many problematical sources. I’ll dig out my copy and go through a chapter or two again and then send detailed comments to your e-mail address. I do know that I found your bibliography helpful, as it contained some sources that I had not yet found myself.

Jesus Angel Azevado

[JesusA (imported)]

Mr. Cheney,

It’s good to see you looking happy and healthy at 84.

It’s been far too long since I read your book for me to be able to give a quick reply. As I recall, you made uncritical use of too many problematic

sources. I will find my copy and reread a few chapters. I will then send my

detailed comments to your e-mail address.

I do know that I

appreciated your bibliography, as it led me to discover

some sources that I had not yet found myself.

Jesus Angel Azevado