Celibacy is a worldwide practice that is often adopted, rarely discussed.
Catherine, Joan of Arc, Leonardo da Vinci,.
Found in every society of the past, practiced by both the anonymous and the legendary (St.
Now, in Elizabeth Abbott\'s fascinating and wide-ranging history, it is examined in all its various forms: shaping religious lives, conditioning athletes and shamans, surfacing in classical poetry and camp literature, resonating in the voices of castrati, and permeating ancient mythology.
Celibacy is a worldwide practice that is often adopted, rarely discussed