Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Havelock Ellis — A Closer Reading
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Produced by David Widger
INDEX OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG
Compiled by David Widger
## STUDIES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX, Vol. 1 (of 6)
## STUDIES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX, Vol. 2 (of 6)
## STUDIES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX, Vol. 3 (of 6)
## STUDIES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX, Vol. 4 (of 6)
## STUDIES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX, Vol. 5 (of 6)
## STUDIES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX, Vol. 6 (of 6)
## ESSAYS IN WAR-TIME
## LITTLE ESSAYS OF LOVE AND VIRTUE
## THE TASK OF SOCIAL HYGIENE
## THE WORLD OF DREAMS
IMPRESSIONS AND COMMENTS
TABLES OF CONTENTS OF VOLUMES
STUDIES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX VOLUME I: The Evolution Of Modesty; The Phenomena Of Sexual Periodicity; Auto-Erotism By Havelock Ellis 1927: Third Edition, Revised And Enlarged CONTENTS GENERAL PREFACE. PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
THE EVOLUTION OF MODESTY. I. The Definition of Modesty—The Significance of Modesty—Difficulties in the Way of Its Analysis—The Varying Phenomena of Modesty Among Different Peoples and in Different Ages.
II. Modesty an Agglomeration of Fears—Children in Relation to Modesty—Modesty in Animals—The Attitude of the Medicean Venus—The Sexual Factor of Modesty Based on Sexual periodicity and on the Primitive Phenomena of Courtship—The Necessity of Seclusion in Primitive Sexual Intercourse—The Meaning of Coquetry—The Sexual Charm of Modesty—Modesty as an Expression of Feminine Erotic Impulse—The Fear of Causing Disgust as a Factor of Modesty—The Modesty of Savages in Regard to Eating in the Presence of Others—The Sacro-Pubic Region as a Focus of Disgust—The Idea of Ceremonial Uncleanliness—The Custom of Veiling the Face—Ornaments and Clothing—Modesty Becomes Concentrated in the Garment—The Economic Factor in Modesty—The Contribution of Civilization to Modesty—The Elaboration of Social Ritual.
III. The Blush the Sanction of Modesty—The Phenomena of Blushing—Influences Which Modify the Aptitude to Blush—Darkness, Concealment of the Face, Etc.
IV. Summary of the Factors of Modesty—The Future of Modesty—Modesty an Essential Element of Love.
THE PHENOMENA OF SEXUAL PERIODICITY. I. The Various Physiological and Psychological Rhythms—Menstruation—The Alleged Influence of the Moon—Frequent Suppression of Menstruation among Primitive Races—Mittelschmerz—Possible Tendency to a Future Intermenstrual Cycle—Menstruation among Animals—Menstruating Monkeys and Apes—What is Menstruation—Its Primary Cause Still Obscure—The Relation of Menstruation to Ovulation—The Occasional Absence of Menstruation in Health—The Relation of Menstruation to "Heat"—The Prohibition of Intercourse during Menstruation—The Predominance of Sexual Excitement at and around the Menstrual Period—Its Absence during the Period Frequently Apparent only.
II. The Question of a Monthly Sexual Cycle in Men—The Earliest Suggestions of a General Physiological Cycle in Men—Periodicity in Disease—Insanity, Heart Disease, etc.—The Alleged Twenty-three Days' Cycle—The Physiological Periodicity of Seminal Emissions during Sleep—Original Observations—Fortnightly and Weekly Rhythms.
III. The Annual Sexual Rhythm—In Animals—In Man—Tendency of the Sexual Impulse to become Heightened in Spring and Autumn—The Prevalence of Seasonal Erotic Festivals—The Feast of Fools—The Easter and Midsummer Bonfires—The Seasonal Variations in Birthrate—The Causes of those Variations—The Typical Conception-rate Curve for Europe—The Seasonal Periodicity of Seminal Emissions During Sleep—Original Observations—Spring and Autumn the Chief Periods of Involuntary Sexual Excitement—The Seasonal Periodicity of Rapes—Of Outbreaks among Prisoners—The Seasonal Curves of Insanity and Suicide—The Growth of Children According to Season—The Annual Curve of Bread-consumption in Prisons—Seasonal Periodicity of Scarlet Fever—The Underlying Causes of these Seasonal Phenomena.
AUTO-EROTISM: A STUDY OF THE SPONTANEOUS MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SEXUAL IMPULSE I. Definition of Auto-erotism—Masturbation only Covers a Small Portion of the Auto-erotic Field—The Importance of this Study, especially To-day—Auto-erotic Phenomena in Animals—Among Savage and Barbaric Races—The Japanese rin-no-tama and other Special Instruments for Obtaining Auto-erotic Gratification—Abuse of the Ordinary Implements and Objects of Daily Life—The Frequency of Hair-pin in the Bladder—The Influence of Horse-exercise and Railway Traveling—The Sewing-machine and the Bicycle—Spontaneous Passive Sexual Excitement—Delectatio Morosa—Day-dreaming—Pollutio—Sexual Excitement During Sleep—Erotic Dreams—The Analogy of Nocturnal Enuresis—Differences in the Erotic Dreams of Men and Women—The Auto-erotic Phenomena of Sleep in the Hysterical—Their Frequently Painful Character.
The index opens with a functional table of contents listing Ellis's major works—Studies in the Psychology of Sex (six volumes), Essays in War-Time, Little Essays of Love and Virtue, The Task of Social Hygiene, The Criminal, The New Spirit, The World of Dreams, and Impressions and Comments—each linked to its own table of contents and to the original online file. The structure is purely navigational: a click on the ## before a title opens a detailed chapter list for that volume; clicking the title itself opens the full text.
Navigational Architecture
The index is built as a two-level directory. The top level lists each work with a dual hyperlink: one for the volume's table of contents, another for the text file. For the multi-volume Studies in the Psychology of Sex, the index then provides separate tables of contents for each volume. Volume I, for example, lists general and edition prefaces followed by chapters on modesty, sexual periodicity, and auto-erotism, with subheadings that break down each topic into numbered sections. This design lets a reader jump directly to, say, "The Blush the Sanction of Modesty" or "The Influence of the Moon" without scrolling through the entire work.
Recurring Thematic Clusters
Scanning the chapter headings reveals Ellis's characteristic concerns: modesty, sexual periodicity, prostitution, venereal disease, and sexual morality appear across multiple volumes. The index for Volume VI, for instance, includes a chapter on "Prostitution" with subsections on the born-criminal, the moral necessity of prostitution, and the prostitute as artist and leader of fashion. Another chapter treats "The Conquest of the Venereal Diseases," discussing the history of syphilis, the Scandinavian notification system, and the role of sexual education. These headings show Ellis's method of combining historical survey, cross-cultural comparison, and reformist argument.
Movement Between Volumes
The index traces a progression from individual psychology to social hygiene. Early volumes focus on internal phenomena—modesty, auto-erotism, dreams—while later ones address crime, war, and public health. Volume V, Erotic Symbolism, bridges the two by examining how psychic mechanisms manifest in behavior. The final volume, Sex in Relation to Society, synthesizes earlier material into a discussion of marriage, morality, and legal reform. This arc is visible in the table of contents alone: the reader moves from the blush to the brothel to the law.
Editorial Framing
David Widger's compilation is minimal: a title page, a credits line, and the index itself. No introduction or annotation guides the reader. The only editorial intervention is the linking structure. The index thus functions as a pure finding aid, leaving Ellis's own prefaces—such as the "General Preface" and "Preface to the Third Edition" listed for Volume I—to provide context. Users interested in Ellis's intellectual development will need to consult those prefaces directly; the index offers no summary or critique.
Because this index is a navigational tool rather than a critical edition, readers should approach it as a map: use the linked tables of contents to locate specific chapters, then read Ellis's own words. The absence of editorial commentary means the index is best used alongside the full texts, not as a standalone reference. For those new to Ellis, starting with the prefaces in Volume I may provide helpful orientation before diving into the detailed chapter headings.
Years among these shelves taught me that even a clinical index holds its own tenderness—Havelock Ellis charting human intimacy with such patient care. It reminded me of another quiet devotion, the heather's slow taxonomy. Both spent lifetimes naming what most overlook, finding order as a form of love. The heathery; or, A monograph of the genus Erica. vol. 5 — A Reader’s Guide sits nearby, and I think they understand each other.
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