Bob Schwartz

My collection of paperback books from the 1930s to the 1970s—I consider them cultural archaeology—includes some fascinating topics. Two of the topics are sex and college life. In the case of these books, they come together.

The two-book set, Sexual Appetites on Campus, consists of one volume each for college men and women. It is written by Weldon Douglas Melick, based on recorded interviews with typical students. The Introduction is by Martin Maloney, Ph.D. It is published by Award Books in the U.S., Tandem Books in the U.K.

These books open:

Not a dry sociological study, not meaningless statistics, not an academic report from a psychiatrist—this book is a warm, personal document that lets American college girls and men tell their own stories.

Here is sample back cover copy:

A sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania engages in almost compulsive promiscuity. Her lovers include men she has met only a few minutes before; she can’t remember the number of affairs she has had.

In the book, this is how she is described:

Evelyn

Evelyn is a lethal combination—an incurable romantic with a face and figure that make men turn and drool on the street. She has one flaw—she’s like a Ferrari without brakes.

If that copy makes you think that maybe these aren’t actual interviews, or that maybe the experiences and profiles have been embellished, you may not be wrong. These “warm, personal documents” can only be described as “hot”.

Which is not to say that the sexual appetites on campus in 1968—or 2025—didn’t and don’t include a lot of unrestrained emotions and activity. As it always has and will. Also worth mentioning, for the socio-critico-analytical, the women are consistently described as “girls” while the men are just men.