From Library Journal

The authors, both academicians, comparatively analyze the findings of two controversial U.S. government-supported studies of pornography, the so-called Johnson Commission, which issued a liberal report in 1970, and the Meese Commission, whose conservative report appeared in 1986. References are also included to the 1979 British Williams Committee on Obscenity. Within this context, such pertinent questions as pornography's potentially deleterious effects, its misogynistic nature, and its role in sexual abuse of children are examined. A scholarly work, the goal is "more to comprehend the problems of pornography in a free American society than to solve them."-- Kenneth F. Kister, Poynter Inst. for Media Studies, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This is a highly informative and thought-provoking book. It makes a worthwhile contribution to our understanding of public policy and pornography." Ethics

"It is certainly the best and most intelligent work about pornography for a long time." John Kaplan, Stanford Law School

"[...an] intelligent and scholarly, yet easy to read work on a controversial, often emotional topic." Choice

"Overall, I consider this to be not only an excellent overview of the current psychological research in the area of pornography but also an interesting and enlightening journey into the public policy area. I believe that it is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the topic from a research or policy perspective...It should be mandatory reading for everyone interested in the topic, no matter what side they consider themselves to be on in this never-ending debate." Contemporary Psychology