Thy Neighbor's Wife (book)

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Thy Neighbor's Wife
Thy Neighbor's Wife.jpg
Author Gay Talese
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Doubleday
Publication date
1981, update 2009
Media typePrint
ISBN 978-0-06-166543-1

Thy Neighbor's Wife is a non-fiction book by Gay Talese, published in 1981 and updated in 2009. [1] [2]

The book is an exploration of sexuality in America from after World War II through the 1970s, with notable discussion of the free love subculture. It provides a snapshot of liberated pre-AIDS sexual morality.

In preparation for writing the book, Talese resided for several months at clothing-optional resort Sandstone Retreat. [3]

In 1979, prior to the book's publication, United Artists purchased the film rights to Thy Neighbor's Wife for $2.5 million, which at the time was the largest amount ever paid for film rights to any book. [4] At the time, UA contemplated making as many as three films based on the book, [4] and in 1980, William Friedkin agreed to write and direct the first film, which he contemplated would receive an X rating. [5] However, as of 2023, no film has been made. [6]

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References

  1. Talese, Gay (January 1, 1980). Thy Neighbor's Wife. Garden City: Doubleday Books. pp.  568. ISBN   978-0385006323. OCLC   6041425.
  2. Talese, Gay (April 14, 2009). Thy Neighbor's Wife. Harper Perennial. p. 608. ISBN   978-0061665431. OCLC   232978247.
  3. Frayser, Suzanne G; Whitby, Thomas J (June 15, 1995). Studies in Human Sexuality: A Selected Guide. Libraries Unlimited. pp. 663–664. ISBN   978-1563081316. OCLC   246859790.
  4. 1 2 Schwartz, Tony (1979-10-09). "U.A. Pays $2.5 Million For Book by Gay Talese". The New York Times . p. C9. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  5. Bach, Steven (1985). Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the Making of Heaven's Gate. New York: New American Library. p.  379. ISBN   0451400364.
  6. See Walls, Jeannette (1991-11-18). "Talese Gooses His Neighbor's Wife". New York . p. 12. Retrieved 2019-01-22., discussing the fact that the film had not been made as of 1991.